


sinking like sand in your sea

by tippytoetomlinstyles



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Banter, Dom Louis, Duchess the Cat, F/M, Fluff, I feel like I'm forgetting stuff again, I suck at tagging, Louis is a cat man, Louis is a wedding planner, M/M, Oh god, Schmoop, Spanking, Sub Harry, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Under-negotiated Kink, What's new, and Louis' an idiot, but not really, but you dont hear much about that, harry is a photographer, harry is so sweet, he likes dick, i dont know, kissing and cuddling and disney movies, lots of blow jobs, okay, slight D/s, so it's based off the kissing video, would you consider this sugar daddy and sugar baby?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-21
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-09 19:46:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 36,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1995597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tippytoetomlinstyles/pseuds/tippytoetomlinstyles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a minute of silent communication with their eyes and body language and soft caresses, Louis can feel the air around them thicken like they’re in a bubble, their own little world. He doesn’t think about the camera. He doesn’t think about the twenty students watching Harry and him. He just knows that he wants to close the very short distance between him and Harry. He wants to mold them together, so that every inch of them is touching. Two half souls becoming one with two hearts, two brains, two lips touching and a connection no one else could ever have. And if that’s not sappy Louis doesn’t know what is. Softly their noses brush and his eyes slip shut and their lips press together. It’s gentle. It’s effortless. It's definitely something. Their lips fit together like they’d known each other for years and not minutes.</p><p>And that's how Louis knows he's fucked.</p><p>or the one where Louis is the wedding planner who has never had a wedding of his own and Harry is always the groomsmen but never the groom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	sinking like sand in your sea

**Author's Note:**

> so basically I got two ideas and it one story. based off the kissing video that went viral and my own imagination. 
> 
>  
> 
> kissing video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpbDHxCV29A  
> Title is from the song Send Me The Moon - Sarah Bareilles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw5lJVgnAIY

Louis types into his iPad reminders that he has to call Louise and make sure she’s still available for the twenty fourth. His client, Clara, refuses to have anyone else as her hair and makeup stylist after seeing the work she did for that one famous person’s wedding. But Lou never returned his first call. He’d asked Tom to tell Lou to call him back about it once she was finished bathing Lux but he’d never gotten that call back.

 

“So we’ve put in the order for the tall center pieces, correct?” Clara asks as she brushes her fingers along one of the tables in the room. Louis looks up from his iPad at her.

 

“We’ve ordered one for almost every table, Clara. But you also asked for a few out of the bunch to be the shorter ones with the fish swimming in the bottom to set diversity to the tables.” She smiles at him fondly.

 

“You’re a doll. This place is amazing; how ever did you manage to find it?” She asks.

 

In all honesty, Louis had searched high and low for a place that would meet the high-end for a low price loving Clara Walton’s approval, and it was when he was sat in his amazing new bathtub with his glasses on, a glass of red wine in his hand and scrolling through his social media feeds when he saw his friend’s wedding pictures, a wedding that he had been the planner of, and saw the location. He’d asked her about the place he’d come to find was named Harewood House, and he went about looking through his files to see, indeed, that he did have it listed as one of his many venues he’d used before with other clients. And he wasn’t sure why he’d never thought of it before but the pictures sparked a flame and he’d made the call instantly to set a meeting with both the house director and Clara.

 

Inside, Louis simply thinks ‘I got lucky’; but outside, he simply gives a brushed off sort of shrugs and grins when he says, “The place just sort of breezed past me and I just knew you’d love it.” The giddy woman laughs in a soft trill.

 

“You are ever so sharp, Louis.” She says and tucks her short black hair behind her ear and rattles on about how she’ll need it pinned back for the wedding, and that she hopes Lou can do that with it curled and Louis inwardly groans but follows her around the venue and takes notes of what she wants done.

 

When the meeting with Clara is done at the venue Louis climbs into his car, he lets out a sigh of relief and shrugs off his jacket. He looks at his phone and briefly thinks may he have time to collect a sandwich from his local café before going home to catch the latest episode of My Mad Fat Diary. He reminds himself to call Lottie and see what how she felt about Rae getting with Liam. He thinks she’ll have a cow and the thought makes him smile. He throws the car into drive and begins his way home to his apartment in London.

 

Over the course of the almost four hour drive, Louis puts on his driving playlist on his phone while it’s set up through his car speakers and he drives and belts out Lady Gaga and Cheryl Cole. When he gets off the highways and into the city, he turns down the music and smiles when he pulls up in front of his café. He’s so hungry, he hasn’t eaten since breakfast and it’s nearing dinner now. Louis’ stomach grumbles out loud when he catches a smell of his sandwich so he decides he can’t wait to get home, he’ll eat in the café. He orders a tea and eats by himself. He’s halfway through when someone taps him on the shoulder with a polite ‘excuse me?’

Louis turns to the voice and standing there is a tall brunette woman who looks about Louis' age. She's tall and thin and looks a little like Taylor Swift and a lot like Kate Middleton. Her outfit is cute: a black skirt that shows off her legs and a cropped white tank top with the word 'LOVE' across her chest with a floral pattern background. She has a pair of black Vans on her feet and a smile on her face. Louis closes his mouth around the bite he's taken and covers his mouth in politeness, and he swallows.

"Yes?" He says and takes a sip of his tea. The girl grins at him.

"I was just curious if I could take a moment of your time?" She asks politely with a perfectly coloured smile. Louis isn't sure where this is going but he gestures out his hand for her to take the vacant seat at his two chair table. The girl sits and crosses her endlessly long legs and places her manicured hands on the table.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lindy, and I am a student at uni. And the reason I have asked for your time is I want to ask you a question. Some of my classmates and I are doing a... Study, if you will, on human behavior. I, well, we- we were wondering if you would like to partake in our little study and help us in our research." Louis gives her a curious look, and the girl laughs at his reaction.

"Don't worry; we aren't scientists wanting to do lab tests on you. There’s no blood, no pain, ‘s quite simple really." Louis takes another bite, excusing his rudeness.

"Well what does the study entail?"

"We're currently working on the study of human behavior as I said. And other groups in our class are doing sleep patterns et cetera, but we wanted to do something different. We want to study the behavior that comes with first impressions. This being said, all you would have to do is be willing to meet a complete stranger, boy or girl, and be willing to have a 'first kiss' with them." she explains.

"Kiss them?" he asks, surprised.

"Yes."

"Why kiss them?"

"Well, we thought it was a unique way to study the first impressions and behaviour, rather than just having two people meet and having them try to hold an awkward conversation. And though a kiss may be awkward as well, I from experience know that it’s a lot easier than small talk. We’re also going to be videotaping it for further research and for our professor to see where our research came from. We plan to make an edited video to provide our participants." She explains with a smile on her face.

Louis contemplates his choices. He does want to get home, but he thinks about how he'd be supporting the education of all these students and thinks he can reschedule his weekly Skype call with Lottie. He also thinks that there’s a fifty-fifty shot of getting someone fit to snog. He hasn’t done that in a while.

"How long would the study take?" he asks curiously.

"No more than an hour." Louis thinks about it for another moment before picking up his phone and looking at the time. It's half five. He'd be late catching the episode, and he'd be late for his Skype chat with Lottie.

"Can you excuse me a moment?" He asks and wiggles his phone as if to say ‘so I can go on here’. Lindy gives him a nod and he types on his phone. He opens up his text conversation with his younger sister and begins to type.

_Just got asked to do this study thing? But I’d miss MMFD. And our Skype chat would be postponed until later? BUT Possibly might meet the bloke of my dreams and get to kiss him? Do or don't?_

He receives a reply in less than a minute.

_Send me the wedding pictures x_

And really, that's that. He looks up at Lindy who is picking at her fingernails. She looks up at him with questioning eyes and he smiles.

"Okay," he says as his answer and Lindy grins.

"Great! This is perfect! Thank you so much. I’m just going to get my coffee and then you could meet me on campus? We’re doing it there for maximum space.” She explains. Louis inwardly sighs but outside he smiles and nods.

 

“Okay. I think I’m going to get another tea before we go.” He tells her. The two get in line and Louis orders his Yorkshire, two milk no sugar, and then proceeds to get in his car and drive to the uni with the knowledge that he’s going to be kissing a complete stranger in less than an hour.

 

When he arrives at the campus, he uses the travel tooth cleaner in his wallet so his breath is fresh and sips at his tea (it’s not the best combination but he’ll have to deal). He climbs out of the car when he sees Lindy making her way up the walkway from the car park. He catches up to her and follows her into the school and down the zigzagging hallways and she explains how things are going to happen.

 

“So we’re not quite ready yet, we’ve got to collect info and consent from each of you, but we can’t have you seeing each other or it’ll ruin the study; we’re going to have you each in your own classroom until your turn. So I will go grab the papers to sign and a camera to collect a photo of you, and then we’ll begin!” She says with a smile as she walks Louis into an empty classroom. He can tell just from the desks that it’s a science study room, if the beakers and goggles gave anything away. He sits on the stool and scrolls his phone and messages Zayn about how he ended up here and doesn’t get a reply before Lindy and a boy with long hair and glasses come into the room. Louis smiles at them.

 

“This is Craig; he’s just here to get a photo of you.” She points and sets out a thin thing of papers on the desk with a pen.

 

To his surprise she fluffs his hair with a cheeky wink and she grins at the camera and hears the shutter click. They end up taking a few other photos and then Craig leaves the room. Lindy goes through the paperwork with him. It’s simple information like his name and phone number and age and birthday, etc. He doesn’t even blush when it asks for his preference in pairing and he ticks off the box that says ‘m/m’ and then his sexuality, he ticks off the ‘gay’ box.  The second page contains the consent statement, ‘I, ____ consent to the study of ____ for blah, blah, blah… I understand that by signing this I acknowledge and accept the use of a video camera, etc.’ and then it’s a bunch of his signatures.

 

“Perfect. We’ll be in here to get you shortly.” She steps out of the room with the papers and Louis never knew that having to kiss a stranger was so hard, and he’s not sure why he decided to participate anyway. Being a Good Samaritan, he supposes. It’s not like he’s excelling in the relationship department. The best relationship he has is with his cat, Duchess, and even she hates him sometimes.

 

Louis doesn’t have much time to wait, not even five minutes later Lindy is at the door calling, “Louis? We’re ready for you.”

 

So he pockets his phone and goes to the door and Lindy grins at him and holds up a black scarf and something he can’t make out. She holds it up and he knits his eyebrows in confusion at the small device that looks like a watch attached to a long strap.

 

“You said this was painless?” He asks and she laughs.

 

“It is, silly. This is a heart rate monitor. All part of the study. You just put around your upper body under your shirt, it’s effortless, painless, and tiny so it won’t interrupt in any way, but it’s there so we can take from it as part of our research.” She explains and Louis nods. He understands. Louis lifts his tee shirt and gets her to help with the strap because he has no clue what he’s doing with it, and when it’s done, she dangles the blindfold in front of him.

 

“Ready?” She asks and he sighs dramatically but he’s smiling; he turns around and allows her to tie the blindfold over his eyes and then he can’t see anything and he has to trust Lindy to get him where he’s going.

 

She holds his arm with one hand and there’s a hand at the small of his back to lead him forward. He knows they’re going down the hallway to another room, can hear a door opening and him stepping through and listening to Lindy’s small navigating (‘little to the left’ and careful, not too fast’ and ‘watch out for that- oh, right, you can’t see it- alright, to the right now’). Finally, he comes to a stop and he sways before his hand touches a cool wall. Flickers of light shed through the blindfold but other than that, he sees nothing.

 

“Alright, so when we give the go ahead you and the other person can remove your blindfolds. You can talk if you want, or stare, or whatever before the kiss, whatever’s natural to you. Just go with what’s natural, you’ll be great.” Lindy tells him and steps away from him.

 

The other person obviously isn’t in the room yet. Louis probably looks odd to whoever else is in the room. He wonders how many people will be watching him. He wonders who his partner is. His mind goes over so many different questions and scenarios that apparently his ears aren’t working until someone’s thudding into him with a soft oof and an out loud “Oops.”

 

“Hi,” Louis says to the person. He’s got goose bumps on his bare arms. The voice is deep, like weak in the knees sort of deep. The kind of voice that you want to put on a recording and just replay the sound over and over. The kind that you think about when you’re alone and bored and sexually frustrated. Louis swallows.

 

“Sorry. ‘m clumsy,”  the voice says and Louis grins though he knows the person can’t see it.

 

“You can take off your blindfolds now,” another voice says from somewhere and Louis takes a big breath of air in.

 

“Should I… um… may I help you take off your blindfold?” the voice questions.

 

“Oh. Um. Sure.” Louis mumbles and he wants to hit himself in the face for sounding like a complete sod but he feels skin brushing his hair and fingers are working the knot out of the blindfold and then the world is bright and he’s blinking to focus and then- oh.

 

“Oh.” He says out loud and bites his lip. He’s staring at a god. His heart thumps hard in his chest and he’s sure the monitor is going nuts.

 

The boy is tall, like endlessly tall. His torso and legs and arms- tall. Louis can’t help but notice it, the boy looms over him by a good three or more inches. He’s thin but he’s defined. His jaw is chiseled and he’s tanned. His lips- Jesus, Louis wants them everywhere- are perfectly pink and pulled into a grin, showing off his dimples. His eyes are a beautiful shade of green that light up in the room and Louis doesn’t know if it’s for him or the lighting. And his hair, Louis wants to run his hands through the brunette curls and grip tightly to them to see if he can spark a reaction. Louis thinks he’s about to combust. He wasn’t at all like Louis pictured for the voice but now looking at him, he’s a million times better than anything his mind could come up with.

 

“Hello,” the stranger says with a shy grin this time and Louis grins back at him.

 

“Hi,” he says again.

 

“’m Harry,” he says softly.

 

“Louis.” Harry grins. Their eyes keep meeting and scanning each other, and then Harry breaks away and looks towards the ten other people in the room, the students studying them.

 

“Do we just-”

 

“In your own time.” Lindy says though Louis can barely see her, a light’s shining at them and darkens everything behind it. Louis just continues to stare at Harry because he’s fit and he’s charming and Louis’ going to kiss him. Harry nods and steps forward, he places his hands on Louis’ hips and brings Louis close and rests his forehead against Louis’. Louis’ hands rest on Harry’s shoulders before he clasps them together behind Harry’s neck. Harry stares into his eyes, and he bites his lip and Louis can practically feel their lips touching and his skin is buzzing and he hopes it’s not just him feeling this- whatever it is.

 

“Should we count down or summat?” Louis says softly and Harry grins.

“Okay. From ten?” Louis smiles.

“10.” Louis starts.

“9.” Harry says back.

“8?” Louis makes a funny face that makes Harry chuckle.

“7.” He makes and equally silly face. Louis grins now.

“Skip a few.” Louis says and Harry goes along with it.

“3.”

“2.” Louis says and his breath stutters.

“1.” They both say and it should happen then, the brush of their lips and the beginning of a kiss that leaves them breathless from the sexual tension but instead they grin at each other and realizing they haven’t kissed, they burst out laughing, Louis burying his face in the crook of Harry’s neck. When he pulls back Harry is looking at him so fondly, and then his thumb brushed against his the skin just below Louis’ eyes. It makes his stomach roll. One of his insecurities happens to be the lines he gets under his eyes. He’s getting old. He shouldn’t be kissing this fresh piece of meat, he’s practically a fossil.

“Cute.” Harry comments and Louis raises an eyebrow.

“What’s cute?” Harry brushes his finger across his cheek again.

“The lines you get when you smile and laugh. They’re cute. You’re cute.” Louis dies. Harry is the one. He can feel it.

“Charmer, you are.” Louis says flirtatiously as if he’s not dying inside because Harry.

“It’s one of my more redeeming qualities.” Harry says in mock serious, as if they’re on a date and he’s trying to boast about himself. Louis can hear the scuffle of people behind the camera and the blinding lights and he looks back to Harry and nods in the direction of the people.

“Suppose we should kiss now, yeah?” Louis says with a flirty tone and Harry raises an eyebrow and nods.

“Yes, please.” And Louis’ stomach doesn’t twist with want, it doesn’t.

“Okay.” Louis breathes out. His forehead rests against Harry’s now. They stare at each other for a moment. Their breathing matches. Louis can feel Harry’s heart beat against his wrist that pressing against Harry’s pulse point on his neck. It’s racing just as Louis’ is. Good. It’s effecting him the same way. Louis bites his lip and Harry’s breath hitches. Louis grins at him and nudges his nose and Harry does back. They are sappy shits.

After a minute of silent communication with their eyes and body language and soft caresses, Louis can feel the air around them thicken like they’re in a bubble, their own little world. He doesn’t think about the camera. He doesn’t think about the twenty students watching Harry and him. He just knows that he wants to close the very short distance between him and Harry. He wants to mold them together, so that every inch of them is touching. Two half souls becoming one with two hearts, two brains, two lips touching and a connection no one else could ever have. And if that’s not sappy Louis doesn’t know what is. Softly their noses brush and his eyes slip shut and their lips press together. It’s gentle. It’s effortless. Their lips fit together like they’d known each other for years and not minutes. Harry tastes like mint and something sweet. He pulls Louis impossibly closer. Harry has Louis’ bottom lip and they’re pressing hesitant kisses to each other and Louis hears Harry sigh and he smiles into the kiss. He licks Harry’s lip and feels Harry’s gasp and brings a hand up into Harry’s curls and gently grips it and cups Harry’s cheek with the other hand. Louis hears and feels a soft and quiet rumble and it gives him shivers. Their noses brush and Louis’ tongue brushes Harry’s. It’s slow and intense; Harry is holding him tightly and close and his hands are trailing everywhere and Louis feels like he can’t breathe and Harry is everywhere and everything is _Harry Harry Harry Harry_. Slowly the deeper kiss fades into light pressing kisses and a chance to get their breathing back to normal but it doesn’t seem to be working; for when they kiss for a final time they’re practically gasping for air and their eyes are wild and Harry’s flushed and his lips are red and Louis can’t imagine how he himself looks; all he knows right now is Harry is beautiful, he’d very much like to do that again, and they’re a hot mess and Louis loves it.

 

They hold each other and continue to stare, unable to break the gaze until they’re grinning and giggling like a bunch of idiots and their foreheads bump again and their noses brush and Louis just feels the overwhelming need to hug Harry, so he does. It startles him when the moment is broken by a thunderous noise and when they look to the camera area everyone is clapping. Why are they clapping?

 

“That was beautiful!” Lindy says and both boys are grinning. They pull apart but Harry takes Louis’ hand in his and Louis doesn’t bother to pull away from it. He looks up at Harry with a grin.

 

“That was good,” he says breathlessly and Harry laughs loudly.

 

“That was amazing. Thank you.” He gives Louis’ hand a tight squeeze. Louis just continues to smile.

 

“That’s it, boys. Thank you again, you will be sent a copy of the edited video when it’s complete…” Harry lets go of Louis hand and he steps away from him. Louis steps out of the camera’s view and out of the blinding light and searches around for where Harry went. When he doesn’t see him, he sighs. He says goodbye to Lindy, and gives her back the heart monitor and she thanks him again, and then he begins walking out to his car as if none of that had happened.

 

For a moment, Louis feels almost hurt that Harry didn’t stick around, but maybe if he had he would’ve disappointed Louis anyways. He gets to his car and fishes his keys out of his pocket and is putting the key into the lock when he’s grabbed from behind and spun so his back is against the car and for a moment he thinks he’s being mugged or he’s going to get stabbed but then he hears the soft, deep voice in his ear. “You didn’t say goodbye.”

 

“Jesus Christ, Harry, you gave me a bloody heart attack.” He clutches his chest and looks up to meet the eyes of Harry.

 

“You didn’t say goodbye,” Harry says again and pouts this time.

 

“You disappeared like Houdini after they said we could go? I couldn’t see you and figured you’d left,” Louis explains.

 

“I went to get my bag from the classroom they had me in.” He gestures to the messenger bag across his chest.

 

“I see,” Louis says softly. Harry smiles at him.

 

“I want to know you,” he admits and Louis can’t help the blush that fills his cheeks.

 

“Why would you want that?” Louis asks softly and Harry looks at him like he’s crazy for not knowing.

 

“You’re nice, funny, fit as fuck- and that kiss. That was something, Louis.” Louis knows, oh, how he knows. Still, he thinks of something witty and clever to come back with.

 

“I could be an axe murderer.”

 

“I think I’ll take my chances.” Harry grins and Louis laughs. Harry’s hands trail to Louis’ arse and into his back pockets and Louis rolls his eyes at him.

 

“You couldn’t be more subtle?”

 

“Subtlety isn’t really my thing.” Harry shrugs playfully. Louis laughs.

 

“I’ve got to get going… I’ve got a Skype date tonight,” Louis says and he can see Harry’s face deflate at the mention of a ‘date’.

 

“Oh,” he says softly, looking to the ground and he sounds actually hurt by the admission and Louis can only keep the act up for a few seconds before he bursts out laughing.

 

“It’s with my sister, you dork,” Louis says and Harry looks up like he’s angry but Louis can see the grin hinting at his lips and Louis rests his face against Harry’s shoulder, taking him in. He smells good.

 

“Are you smelling me?” Harry questions. Louis bites his shoulder playfully.

 

“Yes,” he admits and Harry laughs.

 

“You’re one odd person, Louis,” Harry murmurs.

 

“Tomlinson.”

 

“What?”

 

“My last name. It’s Tomlinson.” His eyes meet Harry’s. Harry smiles.

 

“You’re one odd person, Louis Tomlinson.” Louis blushes and pulls away from Harry, turning and unlocking his car door.

 

“You don’t think I’m a total weirdo, do you?” Harry asks and Louis looks over his shoulder.

 

“No, just a slight weirdo,” he teases.

“Seriously. I’ve not met someone as sarcastic and witty or fit as you. I want to see you again.”

 

“Quite the charmer, you are.” Louis opens the door to his car and Harry grabs his hand before he can climb in.

 

“Please…” He kisses Louis’ knuckles. “Please say you’ll see me again.”

 

“We’ll see.” Louis says in a tone that seems like he’s contemplating it, when in reality he’s internally screaming take me home to your bed, right now. He climbs in the car and rolls down the window and Harry leans down against the door. And then he leans in and places a chaste kiss on Louis’ lips. It surprises Louis but he kisses back without hesitation and it’s nice.

 

“I hope I see you again, Louis Tomlinson.”

 

“I have a feeling you will,” he says with a smile and then he puts the car into reverse and pulls out of the school lot leaving Harry behind.

 

When he arrives home, the first thing he does is gets on Skype with Lottie. His eldest youngest sister squeals when he gives her all the details.

 

“So when will you see him again?” she asks as she looks between a periwinkle blue and a baby pink nail polish.

 

“Blue. And I don’t know, I don’t have any way of contacting him? We never got each other’s numbers.” Lottie freezes, her nail polish drips on the open notebook and she curses under her breath.

 

“You said he grabbed your arse before you left?” She says and blows on her pinkie. He knits his eyebrows.

 

“Yeah? What does that have anything to do with it?”

 

“Check your back pocket,” she explains simply. Confused, Louis stands and pushes his hand into his back pockets. He freezes, there’s a crinkly something in his right back pocket.

 

“Oh my god,” he says and pulls it out and looks at it.

 

_It was my pleasure to kiss you. I’d like to do it again sometime. Call me. Harry. xx_

 

Two x’s. The fucker put two x’s.

 

“Lottie!” He flops back on his bed in a fit of giggles.

 

“You’re such a girl at these things, Lou,” she says fondly and he grins at her.

 

“Why do you think I’m a wedding planner?”

 

Louis is giddy for the rest of the night and well into the next morning.

 

*

**  
  
**

 

“But Niall, he was so perfect!” Harry whines. He’s lying upside down off the edge of the bed with his hands covering his eyes. Niall snorts from the floor where he’s playing GTA.

 

“He’s one guy, mate. It’s been one day and he hasn’t texted you. It’s not the end of the world.” Harry pouts.

 

“It is. Because I don’t know if he’s interested, I don’t know if he even found the bloody piece of paper.” He pulls himself up on the bed before he passes out from all blood rushing to his brain. He lets out a whiny noise and Niall scoffs.

 

“Good Lord, you’re smitten. This is worse than-”

 

“Don’t say it,” He pouts and Niall stops.

 

“You could always try to Google him. You’ve got his name, don’t you?” Harry all but screams. His grin lights the whole room.

 

“Niall, you’re brilliant!” Harry shouts and he grabs his cell phone. He types ‘Louis Tomlinson’ into the search bar.

 

“Shit. There are like four results! How do I know which one is him?!” He complains and Niall sighs, getting off the floor and sits beside Harry.

 

“What does he do for a living?” Harry doesn’t answer.

 

“Where does he live?” Silence again.

 

“For God’s sake, at least tell me you know how old he is?” Harry looks at his feet.

 

“Christ.” Niall runs his hands through his hair and then down his cheek.

 

“How do you not know anything about a guy you practically humped on camera?”

 

“I didn’t hump him. I wanted to, it’s different.” Harry defends himself.

 

“Alright, well, two have a web page, let’s see what they do and surely there’ll be a picture or summat?” Harry nods and Niall clicks the first one. Harry winces at the sight.

 

“Definitely not him.” Niall exits out of the page about a Louis Tomlinson who’s a fifty year old lawyer. Harry hopes the next one is him or he’s SOL.

 

“Please.” He whispers and waits for the page to load. The page before him load and it’s a website for a wedding planner. He knits his eyebrows in frustration when he doesn’t see a picture.

 

“Click the about me,” Harry urges and Niall clicks it.

 

In all his glory, there is Louis. Beautiful, fit, amazing Louis. There’s a slideshow of photos of him, one of him in a dapper suit and tie posing for the camera, another of him in a working state, typing on an iPad while waving his hand around and smiling at an unseen client, another of him in black jeans and a black denim jacket and his hair quiffed and just smiling and Harry nearly combusts. He’s beautiful and it’s him.

 

“Hi, yes, is there any way to speak to Louis Tomlinson directly? It’s urgent.” Harry hears and he nearly dies because Niall is on the phone, he’s phoned the contact number on the webpage.

 

“Yes, this is Mr. Walton,” he says in a posh tone and Harry feels like a fish without water.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” He hisses and jumps for the phone but Niall dodges out of the way.

 

“Matchmaking history so you’ll shut the fuck u- hi, hello. This is Louis, presume?” Niall says in that tone again and Harry makes a dying seal noise.

 

“I’m not Mr. Walton, tell your assistant I'm sorry... So you know, I'm terribly sorry and all to interrupt whatever wedding you were planning, but I have one whiny spazoid of a best friend who won’t shut up about you and if I bloody hear ‘why hasn’t he text me back, Niall?’ I’m going to shave his curls off and mail them to you.” There’s talking on the other end and Niall laughs at whatever he says. Harry is literally on the floor, dying of embarrassment.

 

“’Course. Oh, and do text him so he’ll bloody shut up, will you? Thanks, mate. Here, it’s for you.” He grins menacingly at Harry and Harry holds his hand up to take the phone and curses at him quietly.

 

“Oops,” Harry says softly and on the other end a quiet laugh is heard.

 

“Hi.” Harry smiles.

 

“So I’m sorry about Niall… He’s the bloody worst.”

 

“I quite like him, actually. Funny, that lad. What’s this I hear about you being a whiny spazoid?” Harry makes a soft noise.

 

“I’m sorry. You probably think I’m a right nutter. I’m not usually like this,” he replies and covers his face. Louis chuckles again.

 

“Really? And here I thought you were this charming with all the other girls.” Louis teases and Harry can’t help but blush.

 

“Not all of them are half as fit as you. Or as easy to talk to.”

 

“I’m sorry I never sent you a message, I did find your note in my back pocket, with the help of my sister. And I meant to send you a message, or even call, but after watching MMFD I had to call someone for work and then I crashed watching Downtown Abbey.” He replies shamelessly.

 

“And today?”

 

“I intended to follow through with my plans of finding out where you live so I can kill you with my favourite axe.” Louis banters and Harry laughs.

 

“Are you busy for lunch today?” he asks quietly. He hears a tapping noise.

 

“Surprisingly, no, I’m not.” Harry grins.

 

“Can I take you then? To lunch, I mean. I’ll be a proper gentleman, pick you up and pay and everything.” He can hear Louis laugh again and it’s a nice sound.

 

“Such a tempting offer, you charmer,” Louis says in a teasing voice. Harry tries not to hyperventilate.

 

“Is that a yes then?”

 

“Yes, Harry, it’s a yes.” He can practically hear the smile in Louis’ voice.

 

“Really?” He’s got a shit eating grin on his face.

 

“Yes. I’ll text you where to pick me up. Promise.”

 

“Okay.” Harry bites his lip to contain the bursts of happy laughter that want to escape him.

 

“See you soon,” Louis says and Harry says ‘bye’ before the line cuts out. He’s grinning like a maniac and squeals like a little girl getting concert tickets, flopping around on the bed until his head lands in Niall’s lap. Niall looks down at him, pleased.

 

“Admit it, I am an amazing wingman and you love me.”

 

“You are an amazing wingman and you love me.” he grins and Niall thumps him on the head with a pillow. Harry just laughs loudly into the pillow and then his phone buzzes. He shoots up and looks at it and there on his screen are three messages from Louis.

 

_12:30, the tall building by the bookstore just across the street from the uni._

_It’s Louis, btw._

_I suppose you knew that. I’m an idiot._

 

For some odd reason, Harry is giggling. He types out a quick reply, Oh so your phone does work! xx and waits for a reply. He also takes the time to save Louis’ contact info (he doesn’t save the photo of Louis in the denim jacket from the website for the contact photo, he doesn’t).

 

_Haha. Funny._

 

Attached to the message is a picture. Harry’s heart stops. It’s Louis, or rather two pictures in one. The left picture is of Louis giving him a questioning look with his eyebrows raised and his mouth pressed in a thin line. It’s sassy and Harry loves it. The right picture is Louis frowning at the camera and has the caption not laughing and that makes Harry laugh. He sends Louis a reply with a picture of a squirrel he found off google and he types out the captions oh nuts.

 

Harry’s surprised when he receives video from Louis. When he presses play it’s Louis looking stern at the camera and pointing a finger at it.

 

“Listen here, you, no more punny business.” But then Louis’ breaking out into a beautiful grin and he’s all soft and warm looking and Harry just wants to snuggle him forever. “But seriously I’ve got to get back to work so no more texting until lunch.” He winks at the camera and gives a kissy face before the video shuts off. Harry is dying.

 

“You’re so fucked,” Niall says out loud. Harry makes a whiny noise and then sighs.

 

“You’re telling me.”

 

*

Louis’ surprisingly calm about the whole thing. He’s not been on a date in a year, he hasn’t hooked up with anyone in almost half that, and maybe that’s a bit sad but he’s been busy planning other people’s weddings and having late night movie marathons with Duchess, his white cat who he named after the cartoon cat from Aristocats. And he’s not really sure that this is an official date. Maybe it’s just a two-people-who-were-strangers-yesterday-and-kissed type of hang out.

Whatever it was, it had Louis fluffing his hair in the mirror on the back of his door and changing out of the dressy pants he’d worn for a meeting and into the jeans he kept in his office. His assistant Eleanor opens the door just as he turns around to collect his phone and wallet and she holds up a sheet of paper.

“So Delia just faxed over her guest list. It’s a piece of work, I’ll tell ya.” She places it on his desk and perches on the edge of it. Her endlessly long legs are in black pantyhose and her skirt is just below the middle of her thigh. Her shoes are bright red stilettos and her shirt is a blouse with a low neck line. Louis doesn’t even give her a second glance.

“You going somewhere for lunch?” she asks and almost sounds deflated. Louis shrugs his jacket off and then his shirt, pulling on his grey DC Superheroes shirt on. He’s so glad he thought to keep a change of clothing in the bottom drawer of his desk. He grins at her.

“Yeah, I'm going to have wild, passionate sex in the back of a Mercedes,” he teases and her nose crinkles.

“Spare me the horny details, please,” Eleanor says and Louis laughs. He looks at the clock. 12:25. He grins.

“I’m going to go stand at the front of the building for him. I'll be back by three. Wish me luck.” He winks and wiggles his eyebrows and she giggles.

“Use protection!” She shouts as he all but runs to the elevator and goes down to the front of the building.

Once outside, Louis realizes that it's a bit chillier than he expected because the sky is dreary and grey; it's London, what's new? He thinks to himself that he should've put on his jean jacket or even his blazer. Spring is normally chilly for London, Louis curses himself for trying to look good and not thinking about the stupid bipolar weather.

Five minutes later, Louis is rubbing the goosebumps on his arms and when he looks up a white car is pulling into the lot: a Mercedes.

"You've got to be shitting me," Louis says to himself, stunned. Harry steps out of the car in a big grey sweater and distressed jeans. His hair is pushed off his face by what looks like a scarf. He looks like a model.

"This is priceless!" Louis shouts incredulously. Harry looks up surprised and grins when he sees that Louis is running to him. He holds his arms out for Louis to hug him but when their bodies meet, Louis is tugging him towards the car.

"You have to pose for me," Louis says, pushing Harry back against the car. Harry is utterly bemused.

"Hello to you too?" Harry says with a laugh in his tone. Louis grins at him.

"Nice ride," he says and surprises himself and Harry when he reaches up on his tippy toes and places a chaste kiss to his lips. Harry blushes and grins back when Louis begins to walk away from him.

"Oh. Er, thanks? It was for my gift for my sixteenth birthday but it was also a hand-me-down when my dad got his Impala..." Louis fiddles with his phone and then looks up at Harry.

"Pose for me. Like a model. A friend will never believe me when I tell her you have a Mercedes unless I show her. We've an inside joke, you see... So yeah, pose for me." He wiggles his eyebrows at Harry.

"Paint me like one of your French girls," he says as he shoves his hands in his pockets and leans against his car again. The wind flips his hair this way and that, and he turns to face away from the camera for a good shot. Louis takes a few pictures before Harry looks back at him with a smile.

"Perfect. Now let me in that beautiful thing, I'm bloody freezing!" Harry laughs but opens Louis' door for him and shuts it before going to his side and getting in.

Louis doesn't make the photo his lock screen, he doesn't (he does). He makes shifty eyes in Harry's direction and smiles. Harry is staring at him.

"Did you message your friend?" Harry asks.

"Oh! Um, I'm about to." Louis blushes.

"Shall we go to lunch?" Harry says. Louis smiles.

"We shall." Harry puts the car in drive and begins to drive. Louis opens the text conversation with El and adds the photo of Harry.

_My chariot awaits. #Mercedes #ironic #itsasign #ineedtostopwiththesestupidthings_

__

He adds the caption and presses send and doesn't give his phone a second glance. He looks at Harry who has a smile on his face. There's faint music in the background, and Louis reaches for the radio dial to turn up the volume.

**  
  
**

**_I've been awaiting for you_ **

**_And you've been awaiting for me_ **

**_Tell me that you'll always be true_ **

**_And you'll be the only one for me_ **

**_Forget me not my dear, my darling_ **

**_Forget me not my love_ **

"Who's this?" Louis asks and points to the stereo. Harry looks to Louis when they're at stop light.

"The Civil Wars. It sucks that they've gone on hiatus indefinitely, internal discord and different ambitions or basically some fancy words to say they developed feelings for each other but don't want to ruin their families so they called off their career together just after hitting it big with that Taylor Swift song... but yeah, their music is ace." He explains. Louis nods.

"They're good." Louis listens to the rest of the song and another song comes on by them, one that sounds different from the last, newer.

"Their first album is significantly different from this second one; I prefer the first one more, but this one is still just as good." Louis' nods at Harry's rambling about music. He could listen to Harry ramble all day.

His eyes wander and fall on where Harry's hand is on the middle console. In the spur of the moment, Louis turns to face the window but from the corner of his eyes he watches his hand trail across the console and then encompass Harry's hand in his. He can't see Harry's reaction because he's looking out the window again but he can hear the tiny catch in Harry's breathing and can feel Harry's grip tighten on his hand and hold his smaller hand in his larger, callused one. It feels oddly fitting and Louis can't help but smiling. He thinks Harry is watching him, now.

"Did you want to go anywhere specific? Rather than us just driving 'round everywhere... I should've asked. Thai? Chinese? McDonald’s? An actual restaurant? Shit, I don't know if you're a vegetarian or-"

"You know, Zayn and I practically live off Chinese and Thai takeaway, and he can't eat beef so I rarely have McDonalds, and a Big Mac sounds deliciously heart attack worthy right about now." Louis tells Harry with a comforting squeeze to his hand. Harry visibly relaxes and he turns a corner and pulls into the McDonalds parking lot. When the car is in park and the engine is cut, Harry turns to Louis and gives him a curious look. Louis just stares back with questioning eyes.

"You sure this is okay?" Louis laughs and cups Harry's cheek, watching it grow pink under his touch.

"Positive." Louis, being courageous, leans in and presses his forehead against Harry's. Harry lets out a shaky breath.

"I am trying so hard to be a gentleman like I promised..." Harry breathes out.

"Oh? But what is it that you want to do?" Louis asks, just as breathless.

"I want to climb in the back seat and lay down and snog for however long you'll let me."  Louis' stomach chose this silent moment to make the loudest possible growl ever. Louis whines in embarrassment and Harry chuckles.

"I believe your stomach has other ideas though. C'mon." He says and presses a gentle kiss to Louis' lips because it felt right. He throws his seatbelt off and climbs out of the car,  going over to Louis' door to open it for him. Louis is still hiding his face when Harry opens the door.

"Coming?" Harry asks and Louis pouts up at him.

"But I wanted what you said." He whines. Harry grins.

"We can eat and talk and then do that. C'mon, before your stomach growls cutely again." Louis makes a indignant little noise but takes Harry's hand and let's him lead him into the building.

"It was not cute," he says to Harry as they wait in line. Harry chuckles.

"Cute," he murmurs back and squeezes Louis' hand and Louis is about to fight back when the girl at the till says, "Can I help who’s next in line please?"

Harry orders two Big Mac meals and a large chocolate milkshake, and Louis tries to pay but Harry makes him go find a seat and Louis huffs and proclaims that he's paying next time and Harry grins, and Louis assumes it's because he's making an ass out of himself when really it's because he's just suggested that there will be a next time.

Louis finds a boothed table at the back of the place, clear of wrappers and splatters and little kid explosions on the floor. It's secluded from the other tables and more private and he waves to Harry who tries to juggle the tray and Louis comes and steals the chocolate milkshake from the tray and takes a long sip. Harry doesn't trip over his own feet because Louis looks like a three year old and a grown up at the same time and making a very seductive and suggestive practice out of sucking a straw, he doesn't. He sits at the table and tries to readjust his pants. Louis is oblivious to the things he's stirred.

"The finest cuisine just for you, m'lady," Harry says in a horrible accent and Louis laughs and then pouts.

"How come I'm the lady?" Louis asks and Harry laughs.

"Because you plan weddings for a living," he says and Louis grins.

"Don't knock it til you try it, it's hard and stressful work!"

"Alright, alright..." Louis takes a big bite of fries and a big gulp of the milkshake before handing it to Harry.

"Every time I come here with Gems, we always dip our fries in our milkshakes. It's like a tradition," Harry says thoughtfully. Louis knits his eyebrows.

"Gems?"

"Oh... She's my older sister," Harry explains. Louis nods and sips the milkshake.

"I suppose we really don't know anything about each other."

"We did only meet yesterday," Harry says.

"It feels like I've known you longer," Louis admits to Harry. Harry nods in agreement.

"Maybe kissing does that to people."

"Maybe... Tell me about yourself. All the embarrassing stories can be spared for later, tell me who you are." Louis urges. Harry laughs.

"Alright. 'M Harry Styles, twenty one, youngest of two, my older sister is Gemma. My mum’s name is Anne, and I've a step dad named Robin, and my dad's name is Des. I went to school for a degree in law but didn't find it to be my cup of tea, so I dropped out. It's why I'm not on good terms with my dad, currently. Um... I work in a photography shop, and I also am an amateur photographer. I have been in over ten different wedding parties in the past year, always a groomsmen but never a groom. I long to be married someday to the person I love most. Whenever I meet them, of course. I like the colour blue, like the sea, and wish to travel the world and photograph everything and make a big book of all my adventures." And Louis is officially in love with Harry Styles. It's only been two days of knowing him and he's hooked like an addict to heroin.

"What about you, Louis? Who are you?" Louis thinks for a moment. Who is he?

"Well, my name’s Louis Tomlinson, I'm twenty three, and I'm the eldest of seven. I have five sisters and one brother. Lottie, Fizzy, Daisy, Phoebe, Doris and Ernest. I went to school for business management and took a special course in party planning skills and I always knew I wanted a career involving weddings because I am a complete sap for anything romance. I also know how to throw a mean party. Er, my favourite colour is burgundy, but sometimes it's a soft pale green... But not mint green, it's different. I work as a wedding planner, obviously. I have planned over two hundred weddings in the four years I have been a wedding planner... And I don't have an amazing fact about myself." Harry stares at him with a look that screams fond.

"I think we've got the basics down now..." Harry says softly and Louis smiles. A surprise sneak attack occurs and Harry boops a dollop of milkshake on Louis' nose and let's out a squawk of laughter. Louis goes cross-eyed to see the goop on his nose and frowns.

"Rude." Harry cackles in a fit of laughter and leans over to lick off the melted shake off his nose. Louis scoffs and his nose wrinkles in disgust.

"Gross! You're a disgusting human being, why do I like you?"

"Because I'm charming, because you're secretly just as gross as me, and because this is an awful first date but you love it," Harry says and he freezes mid bite when he realizes what he's said.

"First date, huh?" Louis grins. Harry blushes.

"I- I was kinda hoping so... if you wanted it to be? Unless you're not into me that way and I'm just making an ass out of myself-" Louis takes Harry's shaky hand into his and kisses the white  knuckles.

"I'm only teasing, H. We might have just met yesterday, but I like you. I'd like this to be a date, if you do too." And Harry's grinning like Louis just told him he's going to be a father or something.

"I'd like that very much." Louis can't help but grin back at him. He then looks down at their finished meals and then back up at Harry.

"What do you say we ditch this joint and you keep your promise about that make out session in the back of your Mercedes?" Harry laughs but Louis' never seen someone move so fast to get up since his dad jumped up from the floor when his mums water breaking on the couch for the first set of twins. He laughs and Harry tugs him towards the door, their garbage left on the table (Louis feels bad about leaving it there for only a moment). They're giggling when they make it to the car and Harry pins Louis against the door with his body.

"Shall we go back to your office? Make out in the parking lot instead of here?" Louis whines at the question.

"I suppose I can wait. Although I wouldn't object to a little speeding... Live life in the fast lane, yanno?" Harry laughs and leans in, their foreheads touching.

"You're a bad influence, Louis Tomlinson.... I love it." Louis laughs this time and let's himself slink into the car. Harry is quick to his seat and even faster to turning the car on and pulling out of the driveway. He's only pressing the speed limit by like one, but for some reason it feels like he's breaking a big law like committing murder. The thought of Louis lips on his makes him forget the feeling quickly and race to Louis' building.

As soon as the car is parked the two boys are wiggling their way into the backseat and somehow they manage to have Harry on his back and Louis straddling him. This is Harry's wet dream (literally, he dreamt this last night) come true. Louis grins down at him.

He leans in as if they've known each other years and not just two days. Their lips meet and Harry's hands slide up the back of Louis' shirt and let's his dull nails scratch Louis' skin. Louis huffs a breath and let's his tongue slip against Harry's gently. The kissing is fevered and intense, and Louis makes his way down Harry's neck and over his collarbone to leave a blooming love bite in its wake and Harry can't breathe but it's beautiful and his hands roam everywhere. He just wants everything and Louis is making these tiny noises and- _oh shit_ , he's hard.

"Hello there." Louis says against Harry's lips with a playful tone and he grinds down against Harry and Harry gasps and lets out the loudest moan.

"Hi." Harry says, and Louis can practically hear Harry's blush. Louis grinds down again and Harry pants and his hands grips Louis' arse and he groans again at that.

"Your ass is- fuck." Louis ruts down harder, it feels so fucking good it almost hurts.

"Less talking, more kissing. And if you're good, you may even get to cum..." Louis pants and Harry whines. He doesn't have to be told twice.

He kisses Louis and grinds up and makes a pathetic sound when Louis pins his hips down so all he can do is take the small frantic ruts against Louis' clothed erection and his hands tangle in the fluffy feathery fringe of Louis' hair. It feels like forever of kissing and grinding and too much and too little. And just as his thighs begin to shake and his heart jackhammers and his toes curl, Louis stops. He just stops. Harry nearly chokes on air. He can hear Louis' phone going off.

"Lou-"

"Sh, stay quiet, yeah?" Harry nods and closes his eyes. Louis clicks on his screen and maneuvers back over Harry and grinds in slow and long circles. Harry is losing it.

"El? What's wrong?" He hears Louis say as calmly as ever, as if he isn't rubbing off on Harry at the moment.

"Fuck- you'd think her fourth marriage would've worked out. I was so hopeful. How am I going to possibly top it?" Harry wheezes and his toes curl and his eyes snap open and he breathes out a faint "please Louis" and Louis looks down at him like he's the only thing in the world that matters.

"Cum." Louis mouths and as soon as he says it, Harry's back arches, his head throws back and his hands crush Louis' hips and Louis' fingers - _his fingers_ \- are in Harry's mouth to mute the groan he lets out. Harry opens his eyes with fluttery lashes to Louis staring down at him in wonder and amazement and Harry sucks hard on the fingers in his mouth.

"I'll be up in a minute." Louis barks before he's throwing his phone to the front and takes his fingers back, he leans down to kiss Harry and places the gentlest of kisses to his lips..

"That was beautiful. You're bloody gorgeous like that. Fuck I'm so hard." He mumbles before pulling away and fixing his fringe. Harry grapples for him with a pout.

"Thank you for lunch, and for this, I look forward to date number two. Text me at five, I'm out of the office then." He presses a kiss to Harry's lips and manages his way to the front of the car. Before he can go though, Harry pulls at his hand.

"But you didn't get to-" he looks at Louis' pants where the erection is obvious.

"Don't you worry, darling. There's a perk to owning your own office with a lock and a little lube in your second drawer. Think of me, babe, I'll definitely be thinking of you." Louis winks effortlessly and cheekily and steals another quick kiss before he's making his way into his work place, leaving Harry behind.

And Harry is flustered, to say the least. He flops back against the backseat and runs a hand through his sweaty curls. Laying there with cum staining his trousers and a grin that won't leave his face, Harry realizes just how fucked he truly is.

Louis Tomlinson is surely going to be the death of him.

*

Louis will be the first to admit that being a wedding planner has its perks. It's an excellent paying job if you know what you're doing, it's on your own hours and your choices and the money is phenomenal. Louis is a wedding planner, but he's different for each wedding. If they want him as a 'on the day of' planner, his job is to make sure venue and catering and everything is in place and going perfectly. If he's wanted to be a 'the month of' planner, he makes sure all the loose ends of the wedding are tied and on the day of the wedding, he makes sure the wedding flows seamlessly. And if the to-be-wed couple want a full-service planner, then Louis there for everything: colour schemes and venue scouting and cake makers and catering; the whole shebang.

For an average wedding as a full-service planner, Louis can make upwards of six thousand dollars and more. His larger weddings run upwards of ten thousand. It's hard work, it takes determination, but Louis is one of the best and people are willing to pay a great deal to make sure their big day is perfect. His annual salary varies, because of the amounts of weddings he does and the type of wedding as well, but with each year it grows. Last year, he did over two hundred weddings, twelve of which were full service. His salary last year was a staggering over $150,000. That's typically the average salary of a wedding planner with the experience of ten years or more, not just five years. To say Louis had money to spare was an understatement.

He wasn't gluttonous with his money. He bought a flat in London to live in, he bought himself  decent car and just last year he got his mum a new van with eight seats so she'd have a car big enough for the whole family. But other than that, he's careful with his money. Most is in a savings account and every month he has spending cash. But there are times where he lets himself splurge. Like today. It's his day off, and so Louis' at the mall because he needs a new spring summer wardrobe. Stripes and braces aren't cutting it anymore. He also wants a new deck for his skateboard. And if he happens to find things for his friends and family, well, this is a splurge. He's in stores like Spencers for his new comic book-themed skateboard deck (though he finds track of glow in the dark wheels so he gets those too) and all his merchandised shirts like Marvel, DC, and band tees (he finds those at Forever 21 too) and then he picks up some normal v-neck tee shirts and some muscle shirts too. He passes Topman and gets some new boxers. He gets a new suit jacket from Alexander McQueen, and that's when he spots them.

On the far wall is a full wall display of patterns; scarves. He's drawn to them and goes over to the wall. He looks at all the patterns, he runs his fingers over the fabric of a blue one with red skulls all over it. It's soft and silky and Louis wants to touch it to his cheek. He's not surprised when he sees the tag says classic silk blend and all Louis can think is Harry. It reminds him of Harry on their 'first date' when Harry had his hair pulled back by a scarf. Louis can't help but feel the overwhelming need to purchase the costly scarf. He ends up caving, and he buys the blue with red skulls, the same scarf in the khaki/light green mix. He even scoops up a third one significantly cheaper from Urban Outfitters.

Louis calls it a day when he physically cannot carry all of his purchases and continue to look. He considers this a job well done and goes home. He's got everything piled on the couch and he's out of breath when his phone rings. Louis knows it's Harry right away because the Harry Potter theme song is playing (Louis thought it was hilarious, Harry wasn't amused).

"Hello?" he pants.

"Hi, are you busy?" Harry says from the other end. He can hear his smile. Louis flops with groan into his arm chair.

"No, why?" he huffs out and brushes his fringe off his forehead.

"You sound out of breath- wait, are you wanking?" Louis wants to laugh, but this is too good of an opportunity to pass up fucking with Harry.

"Maybe," Louis breathes out and hears Harry's gasp.

"Shit, sorry- I can call back or-"

"What, you don’t want to have steamy phone sex?" Louis murmurs seductively.

"Would much rather you here," Harry's voice rumbles and fuck- now Louis really is hard.

"Oh." Louis bites his lip and he hears Harry hum.

"Can you come over?"

"To wank?"

"If you want. Niall's not getting here 'til six to watch the footie game so we've a good three hours to ourselves..."

"Fuck, Harry, I'm so hard I think I may have an accident if I drive."

"So take a taxi. We're drinking anyway, you can spend the night and go home tomorrow."

"You're so good at dirty talk, Harold," Louis says sarcastically. Harry laughs.

"You'll see how good I am when you get here." Louis shivers.

"I sense a double meaning to that statement," he says shakily. Harry chuckles.

"I sent you the address. I'll be waiting." Harry hangs up at that and Louis huffs out a hot gush of air. He looks at his outfit, skinnies and his The Killers tee shirt. It's good enough. He jumps up and rings for a taxi and fluffs his hair in his mirror. He spots the McQueen bag at the end of the couch and he grabs it. With a semi in his pants, phone and wallet he goes out the door and gets in the waiting black cab and tells him the address.

Louis arrives to Harry's building, throws twenty quid at the driver for a ten quid fare and all but runs to the second floor and knocks on apartment D (D for dick, Louis thinks). Louis' tugged inside and pinned against the wall before he can get out a hello. Harry is everywhere. Louis drops the bag in his hand and tangles it in Harry's curls, earning a soft keening noise.

"Bed," Louis says and still kissing, Harry tugs Louis to the bedroom. To Louis' surprise, Harry doesn't shove him to the bed, he simply drops to his knees gracefully and unzips Louis' pants at the same time and mouths at Louis' clothed erection.

"Oh my god, Harry," Louis whines and looks down at him.

"Wanna suck you. Please. All I can think about. Want it." Harry begs as he rubs his cheek against Louis' thigh.

"Thought you said you were going to be good?" Louis says and Harry freezes.

"Can be good. Please. Need it." Harry pants. His hands drop from Louis' hips and rest on his own thighs, shaking. Louis has never felt like this in his life, so in control over someone. He's never seen someone as willing or as radiant as Harry.

"Take your shirt off. Pants too, if you can." And somehow Harry manages to get his jeans off without standing up, and his shirt slips off quickly, and he's simply in boxers and he looks beautiful.

"How bad do you want it?" Louis asks and his hands pause over his button and he's not sure where this is coming from but he likes it and Harry practically drools.

"Need it so much, Lou. Needed it since I met you. Felt like kneeling as soon as I saw you. Please." His eyes shine like emeralds, dark green barely seen around a blown pupil. Who is Louis deny a beautiful begging boy? He pops the zipper on his jeans and lets them drop to his ankles. Harry can see the dark spot in his boxers. His mouth practically waters. He leans forward to mouth over Louis' boxers and hisses and groans when Louis tugs him back by his hair.

"Good boys aren't greedy, Harry," he says and Harry nods, sitting back on his knees and- _fuck_.

"Fuck, you love this, don't you? Love being denied, love being manhandled? Love being told what to do?" Harry smiles up at him and nods. Interesting development. Louis grins back.

"You're something else, you are." Louis brushes the curls behind Harry's ears and watches Harry beam at the praise. Louis steps forward, closer to Harry.

"Pull my boxers down, yeah?" Harry's hands pull the boxers to the floor before Louis' even finished talking.

"Well go on then." Louis says and Harry gives him a smile before he ducks his head and takes Louis down in one go. Louis' knees shake and nearly buckle.

"Fuck." He lets out a soft pant. His fingers are nestles tightly in Harry's curls and he wants to watch Harry suck him but he physically cannot keep his eyes open.

Harry pulls off and licks around the head of Louis' cock and when Louis looks down at Harry, Harry stares back at him. Louis groans when Harry licks the precum from the slit. Louis wrenches his hair and pulls Harry off of him, glaring.

"No teasing." Louis pushes him back and Harry goes to work at setting a steady pace of taking him down and pulling off. He takes most of Louis in, relaxing his reflexes and pulls off to just take the tip and then back down again.

"You are... holy fuck Harry." Louis whines when Harry pulls off, drops his jaw and waits for Louis to take over.

Louis puts his cock on Harry's bottom lip, and then fully into his mouth and cants forward, he feels like a horny sixteen year old all over again. Harry is so eager and he's making happy noises and he's loving this. Louis holds him down so he's got all of Louis and he's sputtering for air and Louis pulls him off and Harry gasps. His eyes are wild and Louis begins to thrust with abandon because he's teetering on the edge of 'almost there' and 'gone'.

"Fuck, I'm going to cum." Louis' thighs shake and Harry takes him down fully and swallows around him and Louis' brain short-circuits and his orgasm is ripped from him and it feels so good he can't function. When his eyes open he's on his knees in front of Harry with his face buried in the crook of Harry's chest. He notes the tattoos he'd never noticed before. He looks up and there's Harry smiling at him. When Harry opens his mouth, Louis' cum is sitting on his tongue. He hasn't swallowed.

"Good god, you're obscene." He places a hand under Harry's chin and makes Harry shut his mouth. He covers Harry's mouth for emphasis.

"Swallow." He tells him and Louis can see and hear Harry's swallow. Louis shivers.  

"You wanna cum now?" Louis asks him. Harry whimpers.

"I'd like to, but only if you want me to cum?" Harry asks and Louis grins.

"Could leave you like that, all hard and horny and obscene. Could cum again, all over your pretty little face and tell you to stay that way even while your friends over. Would you do that?" Harry's the one who shivers this time.

"Yes. But... But I was good... right?" Louis can hear the genuine concern in Harry's voice and can see the doubt in Harry's eyes and Louis' teasing is over. He wraps his arms around Harry tightly and coos.

"You were so good Harry, fuck, I've never cum so hard in my life. Best blowjob ever, swear. You did so well, babe. C'mon, you can cum now." Louis pushes Harry's boxers down and begins to jack him off. Harry presses his face to Louis' neck and whimpers.

"Please."

"Cum, Hazza." Harry lets go, let's the waves of his orgasm hit him over and over and doesn't even watch Louis clean his hand with his tongue.

Harry is spacey for a long time afterward, even through their shower and only comes back to normal after a cuddle and eating banana; Louis thinks he should probably google about it, but for now he takes the doe-eyed boy in his arms and holds him tightly because it feels like it's what he was always meant to do, and for as long as Harry lets him, Louis will be there to hold him.

*

**  
  
**

Louis sits on the couch with a beer in his hand and watches the game. Louis finally meets Harry's friend Niall, and the meeting isn't awkward like most first meetings usually are (Louis has reason to believe it's because of the phone call they shared). It's just a simple conversation; ('Hey mate how are you' 'Good mate, you?' ''m fine. So you're shagging my best mate?' 'Yeah, I sorta am. Is that okay?' 'By all means, shag the fuck out of him.' Louis laughs and chucks him a can of beer, and from there it's all smooth sailing.) So now Niall is sitting in the comfy chair across from the couch and the three of them are watching the game together. Niall 's also munching on the nachos Harry had made earlier. He remembers watching Harry putter around the kitchen after their two hour cuddle, humming as he made the nachos in just a frilly pink apron. Louis had watched from the kitchen island with a smile, trying not to laugh as Harry's bum wiggled to the beat of the music.

But now he sits on the couch with Harry tucked up under his arm and it's so domestic and comfortable and Louis shifts in his seat at the thought that he could get used to this because eventually this will end, it always does.

"Wha's in that bag over there on the floor?" Niall asks around a mouthful of crisps. Louis knows exactly what he's talking about.

"What bag?" Harry asks, confused. Louis rises from his place much to Harry's protest and collects the bag from the place by the door where the bag had been left without a second thought. Louis brings it to the couch and sets it in Harry's lap.

"I saw these today at the mall, I thought of you," he explains and Harry stares at the label on the bag, stunned.

"It's McQueen, Louis," he says in a voice Louis hasn't heard.

"I know.. Not all of it is... Just two things..." Harry reaches into the bag and pulls out the red and blue silk scarf first. His eyes widen and he bites his lip.

"It's beautiful. I've never had one quite so nice before..." His fingers rub the material and he brushes it against his cheek. It's then he sees the tiny little price tag that reads £445.00. He nearly chokes on his spit when his eyes meet Louis'.

"What the actual fuck," Harry says breathlessly. Louis laughs. He sort of expected this reaction (well, he didn't, he planned to take the tags off the things before he gave them to Harry but you know, details).

"Don't laugh, Lewis, why the fuck are you spending a month’s worth of rent money on me?" Louis laughs more when Harry tugs the other two scarfs out and nearly dies when he sees the second McQueen scarf.

"Louis, seriously what the fuck."

"Are you prostituting your body, Harry? Is he paying you in those scarf things you wear?" Niall, who admittedly Harry may've forgot was here, asks from his spot in the chair.

"We've hardly had sex, Niall. Saving that for the third date. Duh." Harry waves a hand dismissively. Louis raises his eyebrows.

"Third date, huh?" Harry grins at him. He looks at the scarves again and gives Louis a look.

"Seriously, you've spent like- nearly three month’s rent on me. Are you nutters?" Louis laughs again.

"Perhaps I'm just entranced with the curls. I just went out today and decided to splurge. Consider my splurge over for a while. I just hope you like them." Louis says simply as he twirls his fingers around a single curl and Harry grins like a kid at Christmas, burrows back into his cuddling position in Louis' side, and continues to touch the soft materials of his new headscarves. Niall just grins at the two and then goes back to watching the telly.

"I do... Love them, I mean... There's lovely... Thank you..." Louis kisses him as a 'you're welcome'. Niall fake gags.

"I'm happy for you and all, but you're making my beer taste bad with all this schmoopsy lovey dovey stuff." Harry laughs and Louis grins. He's happy things didn't go awkward. They could withhold from cutesy shit until later.

The match ends, Niall's team wins and he chugs an extra beer to celebrate. Louis sighs. Harry is heavy against Louis and is falling asleep. He mumbles something about bed and Louis looks at Niall who is staring at his best friend cuddled into Louis' side.

"You're not going to hurt him, right?" Niall asks and Louis stiffens.

"Why would I ever-"

"Not physically, but emotionally... Harry's rather shit with emotions... And he knows it... I just... I just don't want to see him hurt again... You know?"

"Niall, we're not exactly dating... I mean, it's not official? How could I hurt him?" Louis asks.

"I know... I just... He really likes you, and he tends to wear his heart on his sleeve and let's his heart leap before his head has time to grasp anything and- Jesus, I'm shit at this sort of speech... Just don't hurt my best friend yeah?" Louis can only nod and look down at Harry with fond yes. How could anyone ever want to hurt him?

"Alright, bed time. Harry said you're kipping on the couch?" Niall nods.

"You gonna carry him in?" Niall asks and Louis responds by pulling Harry up into his arms, Harry's arm wrapping around his neck like a small child. He gives Niall a small wave and a nod as a good night and begins into the bedroom.

"You're strong. Niall would've dropped me by now." Harry sighs into his neck and Louis freezes.

"You're awake?" he asks carefully. Harry hums.

"Barely," he mumbles and buries his face further into the skin of Louis' neck.

Louis shuts the bedroom door behind them with his foot and then lays Harry down on the bed. He removes his clothes until he's down to his boxers, and he sees Harry's done the same, and he's climbing under the soft blankets. Harry cuddles up to him quick and he's all warm and soft and pliant and Louis wants him like this, always. He tries to forget that he thought that, and Harry is making a soft noise like a sigh, and Louis brushes the curls off his face.

"Okay?" Harry hums.

"Okay," Harry replies and Louis doesn't mention that they've just quoted the most overused quote from TFIOS apart from the metaphor one, or even the pain demanding to be felt one.

"Do you think this is fast?" Harry asks softly.

"Fast?"

"Mhm. We've already... Earlier? And now you're in my bed, mostly naked... I just... What is too fast for you?" Harry explains.

"Not this. This is good. Comfortable. It may seem fast to some people, but this is good to me. I like this."

"Even if we've just met?"

"Just meeting doesn't mean anything. If we're comfortable and happy, it doesn't matter." Louis tells him and he can feel Harry relax.

"Okay. Well I'm happy... Are you happy?"

"I am. I really am."

*

**  
  
**

Louis wakes to the smell of bacon cooking and freshly brewed coffee. He also hears loud humming and possibly a guitar strumming. His surroundings come back to him, he's not in his room. He's also half naked. Then he remembers; Harry. Memories of yesterday flood him and he can't help but grin to himself. He's in Harry's bed, half naked, and there is a certain curly haired charmer missing. So Louis tugs on a pair of shorts he finds on the floor (Harry's most definitely because they're tight across his ass) and he stumbles out of the room and into the living room where the noise is erupting.

Harry is in the kitchen, shirtless and cooking, no apron this time but still adorable and hot at the same time. Niall is on the couch jamming out on a beat up Gibson, also shirtless. Harry is now full on singing and Niall's jumped in on the harmonies and grinning at Louis who is now sneaking up behind Harry. He wraps his arms around Harry gently and bites down on Harry's neck and sucks, which causes Harry to squeal in surprise, stop singing, and groan and lean into Louis' in process love bite.

"Good morning." Louis says and presses a kiss to the blooming red mark on Harry's neck that will surely be purple in a bit. Harry shivers and grins.

"Good morning to you."

"This looks like the beginning of a poorly written porno." Niall voices from the living room and Harry glares at him.

"And how many times have I said that to you and Liam? Christ I've nearly seen the whole naked in and out with you two, so shut up." Niall flushes red and grins down at his phone as Harry says that. Louis laughs.

"What time is it?" He asks and Harry looks at the clock on the stove.

"Half ten? I didn't know what time you needed up and you didn't have an alarm set so,"

"It's okay, I don't have to be in for another hour so I'm yours until then." He presses a kiss to Harry's cheek and steals a piece of bacon off the plate beside the stove. Harry doesn't have the heart to tell him not to.

On his way to the bedroom to get dressed after his shower, Louis sees frames lining the the walls of the hallway. Pictures of a woman who is no doubt Harry's mum smiling at the camera with flour on her face as if she's been baking, and one of a girl who Louis assumes is Harry's sister Gemma, standing in front of a school in a graduation cap and gown her face full of excitement and her arms high above her head and she looks exuberant. He sees a few others, and then he sees a photo of the same woman in the baking photo, in this one she's in a white gown; a wedding dress. She's not alone, a man is beside her in a suit, Louis assumes it her husband. The photo looks more recent than the other, and it's a beautiful one at that. The couple look to be like they're dancing, the woman in mid spin, their arms out. They both look like they're laughing and in complete wedding bliss dancing under trees lit with lanterns. It's a beautiful capture, and Louis seems to stand and stare for a whole at it.

"That's my mum and my step dad." Harry says, startling him. Louis turns to look at him with a smile.

"Sorry to scare you, you just sorta stood here for a good five minutes, I thought something was wrong." Harry explains and kisses Louis' cheek.

"They're a beautiful couple. It's a beautiful photo."

"Thanks. I was so happy to have my new camera, I asked if I could do my own photoshoot with them, even after the photographer did theirs." Louis' gobsmacked. "You? You took this?"

"Yeah..." Harry admits, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You're incredible!" Louis says with a laugh and Harry grins. He can't help it, he pins Harry to the wall and snogs the living daylights out of him, because he can.

When Harry drops Louis off to work nearly two hours later, Louis has a lovebite on his collarbone that matches Harry's, his hair is freshly washed from their shower but it's fluffed everywhere and his lips are bright red from spending fifteen minutes kissing in the Mercedes. He's grinning as he walks to the door and Harry waves at him from the front seat with a matching grin. He nearly bumps into the door before turning around and getting into the elevator, the grin doesn't fade. Eleanor looks up from her desk and gives an almost sad smile.

"Good night?" She asks and Louis actually giggles.

"Good night, good morning, just... Really good." He slumps against the wall, giddy.

"You're right smitten then?"

"Think so. I just... He makes me feel good? Not just sexually, either. He makes me happy and like, I haven't felt like this in the longest time." Eleanor nods.

"Right... So Lou called and confirmed for Clara Walton's wedding tomorrow, but I still haven't heard conformation from the photographer." Louis snaps out of his little Harry daze and frowns. Back to business.

"I thought they confirmed a month ago?"

"No we called a month ago when Clara finally decided on a photographer. But the one she picked hasn't called back."

"And the others?" He stresses, she gives him a look.

"Booked elsewhere. I've tried everything Lou, even our backup photographers are off or booked or not answering."

"We're like dying fish here! Flopping about and gasping! Fuck, El, Clara's going to flip." He brushes his hands through his hair.

"Well it's your choice, but my suggestion is to call Clara right now, get the shit storm over with today before she's a bridezilla tomorrow." Louis nods. He knows that it's his best option. He stumbles into his office and picks up the phone and makes the call to Clara Walton. She isn't amused.

"Louis, what ever are we going to do? Where can we find a photographer this short notice? This may just ruin my wedding!" She whines on the phone, giving Louis a headache. He tapped a pen on his desk to try and block out her incessant fake sobs. He sighs. He looks down at his phone where it lays on the desk, on speakerphone. The screen locks and Harry's picture pops up- Louis freezes. Holy shit, that's it.

"Clara!" He shouts in a scary half angry half hysterical happy. She stops her sniffling.

"Louis?" She says softly, it's the smallest he's ever heard her. Perhaps he was a bit judge-y toward her; she only wants her big day to be perfect.

"Clara," he speaks softly this time, "I think I know of a photographer that could possibly save the day." He hears a hiccup on her end.

"Would... Would you be able to get me some sort of portfolio? Could... Could that happen?" She asks softly back and Louis grins.

"Let me go call him, I could possibly email you a portfolio in fifteen minutes." He hears her breathe out a gush of air.

"Okay. Okay.... I'll just go have a tea then... Thank you Louis." Louis hangs up and quickly switches to his FaceTime, and he dials Harry immediately. Three rings later Harry is appearing on the screen, hair fluffy and curly, face soft and cuddly, and eyes as big as saucers. He looks relaxed and happy. Louis smiles at him.

"Hi." Louis says to the video Harry.

"Hi." Harry says back. His voice is low and gravelly.

"Did I wake you?" Louis asks and Harry nods, still smiling.

"I fell asleep watching Hell's Kitchen." He says lazily.

"Right. Um.. So I sort of have an emergency?" Louis gets to his point of calling and immediately Harry is more awake then before, his face is worried.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"It's one of my clients. Her wedding is tomorrow, and she's so fucking picky that it took her nearly seven months to choose a bloody photographer, and then when she did choose it was a shot in the dark to get a hold of them, and we called a month ago but they haven't confirmed, which leads me believe they were booked or just assholes-" Harry seems confused by Louis' rambling.

"It's just- I don't know anyone else to ask, I saw your photo this morning and- okay I'm just spitting this out, would you be willing to be a wedding photographer tomorrow for me?" Harry looks surprised. He's grinning though, and perhaps that's a good sign.

"Seriously?" Harry says incredulously.

"Yes, dead serious. The couple would pay you the same amount they would've paid the other, and you'd get to spend a lovely day with me." Louis explains and Harry giggles and he's positively beaming.

"You really think I'm good enough to capture someone's wedding? Like to be paid?"

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could. I do have a rep to keep up, Harold." Harry really laughs this time.

"Okay, sure." Harry says to Louis and Louis grins at him.

"You are my hero, Harry Styles. I will owe you so much, You even earn a blowjob for this. Later, I promise. Now, do send me as many photos like your mums wedding as you've got, I've got a picky client to impress. I promised her photos in fifteen minutes. She'll love you." Harry gives him a mock salute and then does a kissy face.

"I will be looking forward to that promise." He says and then hangs up and despite the whole dilemma he can't stop grinning.

Not even a minute later an email comes to his iPad from Harry, saying he'd gotten his email from his webpage because Louis didn't tell him his email, and linked to that message was a slideshow of over fifty pictures from Harry's mothers wedding and other photoshoot type pictures and even another wedding set. Louis is more than impressed. He removes Harry's message to him, and types his own to Clara and sends it off before switching over to his planning files. He sets to work on a few colour and theme palletes another wedding coming up, and another email comes in. Clara's replied.

_Louis,_

__

_I don't know how you've done it, but from what I see, he's wonderful. He reminds me of Julio, but he's obviously more reliable. I do hope he captures the big day the way he's captured that first woman's. I look forward to seeing you and Harry tomorrow._

__

_Clara soon-to-be Walton_

__**  
  
**

Louis nearly forgets that Clara Walton won't officially be Clara Walton until tomorrow. But he grins and opens a message to Harry, telling him everything is good for tomorrow, and that Harry should pack a bag for overnight because they'll be spending a night in Leeds to be there for the morning, and Harry sends him a picture of his thumbs up sign and cheeky grin. Louis sighs and he feels his panic leave him. The rest of the day breezes by and he sends off the palletes to his clients, and confirms their caterers and gives Eleanor a smile before he's exiting the building and realizing that he hasn't brought his car, but even better than that; Harry is sitting in his Mercedes drumming beats into the steering wheel and he looks fitter than fuck. Louis actually giggles as he climbs into the drivers seat over Harry's lap and snogs him breathless.

"What was that for?" Harry asks with a grin. Louis gives him a shove.

"For saving my ass, for picking me up, for being fit, for everything. Just, thank you." Louis says, his eyelashes fluttering against Harry's cheek. Harry holds him tight.

"You're welcome. Thank you, too."

"For what?"

"For agreeing to be in that study. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have met you." Louis blushes and slides into his own seat and Harry begins to drive. At a red light he looks at Louis.

"Where do you live?" He asks curiously.

"Uh, not to far from here? Why?" Harry laughs.

"I'm not going to stalk you or anything, I just thought we could collect your bags and then I could go home and cook us dinner before we leave? Unless you want to grab take away again." Louis touches Harry's thigh.

"Such a clever boy. I'm just down there in the buildings..." He points and Harry follows his directions until they're sitting in the driveway of a tall building. The exterior is pretty much all reflective glass and Harry is staring up at it, wide eyed.

"You live here?" He asks and Louis gives a soft  laugh.

"No, I live there." He points to a rubbish bin in the back parking lot of the other building and Harry gives him a 'har har' look.

Louis gets out of car and begins walking to the building  and then into lobby. The doorman greets him and Harry follows him with a sheepish smile. Louis watches him carefully. They climb in the lift and go up, up, up to the fifteenth floor. Harry follows Louis like a little puppy and Louis takes his hand as he turns the key into the lock of the red apartment door. The door opens and Harry feels stunned.

Upon entering the apartment, Harry looks to the left. The open concept kitchen is beautiful, giant counter space of a grey granite marble, dark cherry wood cabinets on the wall; there's two ovens, one above the other in stainless steel, a stove in the kitchen island that has a lot more counter space and a double door fridge with pictures galore on it. Training his eyes in front of him, there's another cabinet against the wall in the same wood as the cupboards in the kitchen. The curtains are black and covering the windows. The eggshell couch sits on a tan rug over the hardwood floors, with coffee tables and a chair to face it. The room is immaculate. It must cost a fortune. He says so out loud.

"My whole flat could fit in this room, let alone upstairs to your bedrooms. This must cost a fortune." Harry says in awe. Louis grins.

"Actually, it's one of the older buildings, so it's fairly cheap. Wait til you see this..." He selects a remote off the kitchen counter and presses a few buttons, and then the curtains begin to move by themselves. And Harry is floored.

Behind the giant black curtains are giant roof to floor wall to wall windows. The entire room is lit with sunlight but it's not a blinding light, the dimming of the outer glass helps. The view of London is miraculous. Harry can see in the skyline the bridge and the London eye and even Big Ben. It's gobsmacking.

"Fuck."

"Beautiful, innit?" Louis sighs, contentedly. Harry just nods.

"I think I'm in love with your kitchen, by the way." Harry breathes out, Louis laughs.

He can hear Louis getting further away and he turns around to see Louis climbing the stairs up to the level above his kitchen. Harry follows him up, and he then sees how the upper level works; there's a landing of sorts when you reach the top. It's like a long not closed in hallway. The banister lines the edge of the upper level so no one will fall, and then halfway down the not closed hallway is another hallway that goes to the right. It leads down to the end where the bathroom is. It looks huge. On the left is two doors, on the right there's two doors. On the left is a bedroom Harry can only assume is the spare room, detailed in soft yellows with robins egg blue curtains. On the right is the bathroom, and it's fucking huge. Everything is black accents and very Louis, seven million bottles of product, hair gel, shampoo, etc., and a single tooth brush in a lonely stand. Harry assumes the next two doors are linen and strage closets, and then at last it's Louis' room.

The door pushes open and Harry is surprised by Louis' room. He didn't really know what he was expecting, perhaps he thought the room would be covered in comic books and Marvel and DC everything Louis likes in one bit muddle, but the room is actually very grown up. The walls are grey and the ceiling white and the bed is against the left wall and there's two different grey rugs on the dark floor and all the other pieces of furniture are white in the room and the beds frame looks like cushion but it's not really, and the bedspread is black. In the corner looks to be another big window covered in flows white curtains, and yet it looks like a door too. It's simple and it makes Harry smile. He goes and sits on the bed and then flops back on it and groans. He has to kick his shoes off and get his whole body on the mattress. It's heaven.

"Your bed is like a cloud." He moans and Louis can't resist, he's climbing on top of Harry before he has time to react. He nips at Harry's ear.

"Yeah, well you look hot on my bed. And in my house. But mostly in my bed, with your clothes off, a begging mess." Harry ruts up even though Louis pins his hips.

"But that's for another day, because we've got work to do. Come along now." Harry groans but before he can get up from the bed there's a big white fluff all climbing up onto his stomach, kneading it with their claws, and then laying down face to face with Harry with a smile merp. There's a cat he swears is from a Disney movie on his chest, eyeing him and purring.

"Hello." He says to the cat and it actually merps at him, and brushes it's head on Harry's hand. Louis sighs.

"I see you've met Duchess. Odd, she rarely ever likes the people I bring home with me. Get off him, Duch, he's not a bed." He pats her bum and she meows at him and glares, gives Harry a simple wet kiss with her nose to his palm and then sits beside him. Harry doesn't think about Louis mentioning bringing others home, he doesn't.

"Alright, I've got everything, we can go now." He smiles at Harry and the two head downstairs. Louis grabs a bottle of what looks to be lemonade for each of them and puts them in the front of his little rolling backpack. Duchess meows at him and glares, she tings a bell right beside a food dish. Harry nearly laughs when Louis puts his hands on his hips and glares back at her.

"You ate this morning, Zayn came to feed you. It's not my fault you've eaten it all." She meows at him again and dings the bell again. This time Harry does chuckle.

"Fine." Louis goes back into the fridge and pulls out a can of cat food, one smelling of salmon. He scoops two spoonfuls into her dish and smiles at her when she purrs and brushes against his face, licking him.

"You won't get any again until Zayn comes tomorrow though, and I'll be home to feed you dinner, so don't eat it all right away. Now, be a good girl, guard the house, and don't watch Tom and Jerry all night this time. Got it?" He earns a soft _merp_ and he smiles. He turns around to Harry and blushes.

"We can go now." He says and ushers Harry out the door quickly. Harry is still grinning.

"You have conversations with your cat. She practically talks back! That's brilliant!" Louis laughs in the lift.

"Most would say I'm far too lonely to know what my cat is saying back to me, Harold. Only you would think its cool." He retorts and Harry laughs again. The two head to Harry's flat after that, and then they're off.

Unsurprisingly, they just eat take away again on the road, and they take the Mercedes. And at the end of the night, in a little bed and breakfast near the venue, Harry and Louis are cuddled up in a bed together and whispering soft nothings into their bare skin and nothing has ever felt this right.

*

**  
  
**

The wedding is happening, everything is coming together, and Harry looks so fucking fit in a suit. Louis wants to ravish him, take him apart until he's a begging mess but there's little time for that and Louis couldn't stand the thought of ruining Harry's suit with certain bodily fluids. So instead he lets his mind torture him as he bustles around making sure everything is as it should be and trying not to watch Harry as he fiddles with one of his cameras to capture some shots of the venue. In a little while he'll be invited into the bridal suite to get some shots of where Clara will be getting dolled up for her big day.

Harry disappears into another room and Louis decides to leave him be and do his job; he can check in with Clara, tell her how everything is coming along perfectly to ease any worries she might have. He thinks it's a wonderful idea when he walks into the room to see Clara crying as she sits in the chair in a lilac coloured silk robe, waiting for Lou to do her hair and makeup. She's looking at herself in the mirror and she smiles when she sees Louis. It's just Clara and himself in the room.

"Hey mister director, how's everything coming along?" She asks softly. Louis smiles and comes to stand behind her.

"Beautifully. Everything is looks wonderful. Now tell me, whats a beautiful bride like you doing in here all alone, crying?" Clara laughs and blots her eyes.

"Just emotional, is all. Big day today. I asked everyone to let me have a moment. I'm ready now, let the pampering begin." She giggles and kisses Louis' cheek and then Louis welcomes everyone back into the room, Clara's bridal party all bustle in and Lou follows and begins setting out her tools, and then Harry slips into the room just as Louis' about to slip out. They bump into each other and Harry blushes.

"Oops."

"Hi." Louis grins. Harry grins back.

"Oh the photographer is here!" A bridesmaid says and Clara turns to smile at him and Louis.

"I thought perhaps I could get a few shots while you were getting ready? Dress shots, something borrowed,blue, old, new, and shoes.... I know that some brides don't want to be captured on camera before they're dolled up, but it's up to you if you'd like photos of yourself, the process..."

"Everything sounds lovely, Harry. Feel free to snap anything and everything you can, I want everything captured, if possible. Oh and Louis, do stay? You said everything is running smoothly, surely you could stay for a little?" Louis complies to the brides wishes, he sits down on a weird looking chair and watches as Harry flits around the room.

The bridesmaids help Harry gather the few things he wants to take shots of and then he scopes out the best place to photograph them. He's very creative with his photos, the shots of Clara's engagement ring particularly interesting as he has the ring balanced between the backs of Clara's Tiffany blue shoes. He shoots the shoes alone too, and then goes about the jewelry and the other 'something ___'s. And when he's finished there, he gets shots of the bridesmaid doing their hair and makeup, of their bouquets, of everyone in the room laughing at the comments being made, and Louis swears he takes a few pictures of just Louis, but he doesn't say anything.

When Clara's finished her short cut hair is loosely curled, her makeup is definitely Marilyn Monroe styled, and it's finally time to put on the dress. Harry flits around taking shots from different angles and Louis smiles as he watches. The bridesmaids are dressed and once Clara is in her dress Harry looks at Louis and grins. Clara does a few twirls and the bridal party convenes in another room before the ceremony so Harry has a quick moment to pack up his cameras and stands to take to the next place he's shooting. But then he looks over to the makeup table and grins.

"I knew it was you, LouLoubelle. Recognize that blue hair anywhere." Lou stops tidying her work station. She turns around and she grins at the sight of Harry.

"Fancy meeting you here, Harrwheat. You look quite dapper."

"Not like you haven't seen this suit a million times over, what with all the wedding parties I've been in." Lou laughs and shoves his shoulder playfully.

"Always a groomsmen never a groom?"

"It seems that way." Harry says. Louis physically chokes. He watches them banter, and he cannot believe it.

"You... You two know each other?" He asks with surprise. The two in question laugh and look at Louis with grins.

"Cousins, actually." Lou admits.

"By marriage, though. But we've known each other since we were twelve, so I was there all for her cotton candy hair phase, and her red hair phase, and the rainbow phase, and the pixie cut, the green hair, and many others, and now the blue. Small world, innit?" Harry asks and Louis is so fucking stunned he just looks like a floundering fish. Harry chuckles and pulls him in for a light peck to the cheek. Louis blushes.

"Well then, I didn't even have to ask. That's cute." She says as she returns to her packing.

"I feel odd, this is odd. So uh- I'm going to go check up on things, wedding starts in fifteen..." Louis gets out of there before he drowns in awkward. The door closes behind him and he hears them start to talk in low voices. He hates to eavsedrop, especially when he's got a wedding he has to make sure goes perfect(but who is he kidding, he lives for eavesdropping) but it doesn't stop him from he pressing his ear to the door and listening in.

"So how did you meet?"

"A study thing. We kissed just minutes after we met."

"Louis is the guy?!? Shit, that's so cool, meeting like that! Can see it now, he'll plan your wedding, and you'll take a trip round the world for a honeymoon, and you'll have twenty little... Larry? Larry. Twenty little Larry babies running around." Louis blushes even though he isn't in the room.

"We're not dating Lou."

"What. But the kiss?"

"It's more of a growing to be friends with benefits thing? I don't really know. I'll take whatever I can get." Harry says softly.

"He's a good guy yeah?"

"The best. I've never met someone quite like him. It's nice, ya know? I think... This is insane... But is it possible to develop feelings in under a week? Like... Not infatuation but... Real feelings?" Lou tuts from the other side of the door. At this point Louis is holding his breath and he can barely hear what they're saying over the pounding heartbeat in his ears.

"I think it's possible, I'm a big believer in fate, Haz. You know that. I've never seen you like this, not even with him. Just let things be, see where it goes. Who knows, he could be the one." He hears scuffling and he assumes they're about to come of the room so he runs off before he can hear anything else.

Louis composes himself, he's got to be professional, this is his job. And once he's calm, he promises himself he won't have the big freak out that's bubbling in his brain until he's at home with a lovely bottle of wine, shitty romance films, and Duchess there to listen to him and judge him silently.

*

**  
  
**

For a while, Louis forgets about the conversation he heard. The wedding goes off without fail, Clara is beaming as she floats down the aisle on the arm of her ancient father, and at the reception she's swept across the dance floor by her husband. She thanks Louis in her wedding speech, Louis raises his champagne glass to her and grins at the applause he's given like he's Gastby. From the corner of his eye he sees a flash, and to his right he sees Harry grinning as he looks at the photo on the screen of his camera. He grins back, and he sees a twinkle in Harry's eyes and it stirs something in Louis. He looks away as the best man gives his speech.

At the end of the night Clara and her husband drive off in a vintage car with tin cans dangling from the bottom and 'just married' written on the back window. To Louis, that was the cliché thing to do, but he waves them off anyways and as the guests disperse he makes sure the cleaners are cleaning the venue. When the venue director tells Louis that he's safe to leave, he meets up with Harry at the car park. Harry grins at him from where he leans against the car. Louis grins back and ignores the conversation replaying in his head. Harry goes for a kiss but Louis dodges it, getting a kiss on the cheek instead. He tells himself that despite the part of him that really wants that kiss, the logical part of him knows he doesn't need anything more to confuse him. He's got a shit ton of things to sort out in his head, and his feelings towards Harry is most of it.

"Ready to get on the road?" Harry says softly, running a finger across Louis' cheek.

"Sure. You drive, yeah? I've had a couple champagne." He says with a yawn and he climbs into the front seat. Harry grins and scoffs at him playfully.

"As if I'd let you drive my car. This is my baby." He rubs the steering wheel lovingly and Louis rolls his eyes fondly.

"Just drive, we've a long four hours to London." Louis grins at him and then turns to rest his head agaisnt the window as Harry pulls out of the car park.

By one thirty they're on the highway, Louis goes quiet and his mind runs a mile a minute and he just grows more squirmy and actually agitated with the confusing emotions in his brain. He grows so restless his chest actually hurts. He looks over at Harry who is calmly driving, a smile on his face. Harry glances over at him and smiles and Louis smiles back before training his eyes to his door. He tries to fall asleep to get his mind off everything.

He wakes up what feels like only an hour later, and realizes the car's not driving. They've stopped. He looks to the drivers seat but Harry's not there. His heart thuds. He notices his chair is reclined back further, his seatbelt is off an he's got a jacket over him. Harry's jacket. The first thing he notices about his surroundings is that it's light out. The sky is grey with the rising sun coming up behind the clouds, and Louis sits up in his seat and he's surprised by what he sees. They're not on the road, or near a highway, they're on a dead end road and in front of the car is a magnificent view of a city. It's not London, but it's jsut as beautiful. And then he notices Harry is sitting on the hood of the car, staring at the view. Louis climbs out of the car carefully and climbs up on the hood next to Harry, wrapped up in his jacket. Harry's changed into a tee shirt and jeans, his hairs pushed off his face in one of the headscarves Louis purchased for him, and he seems so at ease.

"Why did we stop?" Louis asks quietly and Harry doesn't look at him.

"I started to get tired about an hour in to driving, and I didn't want to risk falling asleep at the wheel, so I pulled over and asked someone where a rest stop was. This is one of the ones right by the highway, but apparently others use the one just down the road because there's a food place and a hotel and stuff there. I figured we'd just sleep for a bit here and we'd be on the road again, but then I fell asleep, like dead to the world asleep and woke up like twenty minutes ago. The suns just rising, and it was so beautiful and I didn't want to wake you. I was going to get back in the car once the sun was risen." Harry admits all this in a sleepy voice and Louis has to try and decipher what he's saying.

"It's okay..." Just then the chorus to Hey Soul Sister starts blaring from Louis' phone and he frowns at his phone. It reads half six in the morning, and Lottie is calling him.

"Hello?" Louis answers it and hears shrieking in the background. He puts the phone on speaker to keep him from going deaf.

"Hello wanker of a brother! Why the bloody hell didn't you tell me you're in Doncaster!?" Louis frowns even further. He looks at Harry and raises an eyebrow.

"Where are we?" He asks him and Harry looks back at him.

"Doncaster." Both Harry and Lottie say at the same time.

"How do you know we- I'm in Doncaster anyway Lot?"

"There's an app that tells me where you are and notifies me when you're home. I like to keep tabs on my brother, you know." She explains as if it's obvious and Louis stares wide mouthed at Harry.

"How is it that you got tired right when we were passing through my hometown?" He asks Harry who shrugs at him, surprised.

"Does this means you're here for a visit?"

"Actually we were just going home from a wed-"

"Louis' coming for a visit?" One of the older twins shouts.

"Louis?" The other screams.

"Boo?" a small little boy voice says, obviously Ernest.

"What? Louis' home? Where? Where is he?" He hears a soft voice that makes tears spring to his eyes. His mum. He sniffles. He looks at Harry who is watching quietly. A  comforting smile comes to his face.

"Boo?" The voice is closer to the phone now, and he lets out a small noise.

"Hi." He says softly back and he hears her crack, a soft choked sob comes out of her mouth.

"Hi darling, I hear you're home?"

"I didn't know I was until five minutes ago. Harry and I were on our way home from a wedding I was working, and he as well, and we pulled off for the night and I was asleep and I had no idea-"

"Are you coming to visit?" She sounds so hopeful and it breaks Louis' heart to hear her hope and knows he has to stamp all over it.

"Well-"

"Of course we can- tell her we'll be there." Harry hisses at him and Louis looks at him with wide eyes.

"But-"

"Call whoever, tell them you're taking a few days off. Listen to how hopeful she is, Lou. Don't crush her. They miss you." Harry pleaded with big eyes. Louis sighs.

"Yeah, yeah we're coming to visit." Louis says with a small grin growing into a big one on his face. An endless shrill of screams and excitement rang through his ears and he laughs.

"Wait- who's we?" His mum asks and Louis' gut drops.

"We, me and my- Harry. Me and Harry."

"Who's Harry?" Fizzy asks from the other end.

"Louis' got a boyfriend!" The girls shriek and Louis doesn't have the heart to correct them.

"Christ, girls clean the house! How far away are you?" She asks and Louis looks to Harry, who shrugs.

"All I know is we're by the highway."

"By the highway? It looks like the place me and Stan used to call 'make out point'."

"You're barely fifteen minutes away! Hurry home, darling, breakfast will be ready for when you get here. Can't wait to meet you, Harry!" She shouts over her children wanting to say goodbye to Louis.

"Bye mum!" He shouts and hangs up, hiding his face in his knees. Harry's grinning.

"This is exciting." He says happily and Louis groans.

"I have so much work to do, Harry." Harry presses a hand to Louis' back, rubbing soft circles.

"When's the last time you went home?" Louis doesn't answer.

"You'll think I'm horrible." He mutters.

"Tell me." Harry says quietly.

"Nearly two years ago. Maybe longer." Harry's hand freezes and it makes Louis flinch.

"Why?" He breathes out.

"Work, mostly. It's a terrible excuse, I know." Louis whines and Harry doesn't say anything about it.

"You need this, Lou. C'mon." Louis nods. He feels so cold and the gut feeling he has is so fucking guilty that he just let's Harry bring him to the trunk of the car and let's Harry undress him right there in the rest stop. Harry gets him dressed in a pair of jeans and then Harry pulls his own grey jumper over Louis' head. It swims on him and shows off his collarbones and Harry kisses them because of it. Louis climbs into the car and Harry puts the car into drive and they begin driving into town, the opposite way they were originally going.

"Left here." Louis tells Harry.

Harry follows the directions and rubs soft circles into Louis' hand as a comfort and when they pull into the driveway of Louis' childhood home, Louis can't help but grin. The feeling is overwhelming; at first, he thought he'd get to the house and feel even more guilty than he already did, but the moment his foot reached the grass, he realizes relief and happiness and excitement replace any negative feelings. And before he can make it to the door, four blurs run across the grass and tackle him in a hug. And not event two seconds later two smaller blurs waddle their way out and jump into the pile. And then Louis sees his mum standing on the front porch, sobbing and laughing into her hand and smiling. Harry watches from where he leans against the car. The scene is adorable. It's like a movie. Harry's eyes meet Louis' mum's, she waves him over and he nervously walks over to the woman. She immediately pulls him into a hug and he hugs her back.

"Nice to meet you, dear. I'm Jay. Thank you." She whispers.

"I'm Harry, and you're very welcome." Even though he's not sure what he's saying that for. Louis manages to get free of the sibling dog pile and envelopes his mum into the biggest hug he can. When they break away, Jay ushers them inside for breakfast of Louis' favourites, pancakes and eggs and bacon and sausage and tea all the finest things he can think of. Harry devours the food, as do all the children of the house. Harry is introduced to all the kids, earns comments from the older girls about him being fit and charming, and Louis looks so happy he could burst. Harry doesn't burst with happiness when Louis doesn't correct anyone that he's Louis' boyfriend, he doesn't.

"Did you call in?" Harry whispers when they pull away from the table. Louis freezes.

"Shit, not yet. Watch the tots for me? I'll be like five minutes." Harry nods and sits down on the couch. A kids show is on the telly, and little Ernest sits beside him, his head resting on Harry's arm. Little Doris climbs up on the couch and into Harry's lap. She sighs and settles for sucking on her thumb and watching the show, and the elder twins, Daisy and Phoebe, sit on the back of the couch and try to braid Harry's hair. The oldest girls, Lottie and Phoebe, sit on the couch opposite to the lot on the other couch and watch the scene unfold. When Louis returns to the room Doris is asleep in Harry's lap, Ernest is almost out, and the twins have Harry's hair pointing in a billion different directions in million little baby braids and little bobbles.

'Don't you look adorable." He collects Ernest in his arms and sits beside Harry comfortably. He doesn't spare a thought to the mess of emotions that were flooding his brain last night, he can deal with those later.

"Did you call Zayn about Duchess?" He asks quietly as so not to disturb the little ones.

"Yes, he'll feed her today and tomorrow, and we'll be back the day after that." Harry nods. He messages Niall and tells him to call in for him.

"Thank you." Louis breathes into Harry's neck. Harry just grins.

"I've done nothing you need to thank me for." Louis shakes his head. Harry has to know what he's done.

"You've just- you've done everything, Haz, really. You've got me here, seeing my family, you saved my job last night, you've been nothing but nice to me... Just thank you. For everything." Harry just kisses Louis' cheek, and he hopes that it says everything he doesn't say out loud. It does.

*

The house is silent at three in the morning, and even when he lived here as a child with just four little sisters, Louis found this time his favourite when he wanted to think. And even now as he lays in his old childhood bed, which had been moved down to the basement to make space for Lottie to take his room, he can't sleep because his mind is working in overdrive. Harry is passed out beside him, curled up around a pillow Louis sneakily put between them when Harry had tried to cuddle him in his sleep. It's not that he doesn't want Harry to cuddle him, he just needs space to think and that would only distract him.

Louis knows he's overthinking everything, to the point where his brain hurts so much he gets a headache, but he's always been one of those people who bottles it inside and thinks on things until he physically feels sick. He can't help it. So as he rubs his temples to will away the throbbing, he realizes it's not going to go away and he might as well just get up and make some tea while he's at it. So wrapping the quilt around him he tiptoes up the stairs and curses under his breath when his feet his the cold linoleum tiling of the kitchen.

"Forgot how cold the floors get at night here?" A voice says calmly from the kitchen and startles Louis. He jumps clutches his chest to will his heart to beat a steady rhythm and glares at the shadow, even if it is his mother.

"Scare the shit out of me why don't you?" He says and she grins at him. She's sipping tea, and Louis looks to see the kettle already done. He thanks the heavens and pours a cup of Yorkshire for himself, and sits beside his mum.

"I could hear your brain gears turning from up here you know, you're not a light person when you're tossing and turning about there. I was simply waiting for you to come up and talk to me."

"To be honest I didn't know you were up here. What are you doing up, anyways?"

"The babies have fucked my sleep up. I can't get out of the habit of sleeping on and off, so I find tea helps."

"You know, I could always come over for a weekend and watch them, you and Dan could go to a B and B, spend the whole weekend catching up on sleep..."

"Could you now?" She says in a tone that makes Louis frown.

"Don't be bitter, please."

"I do have every right to be, Louis. You haven't been home in two years, for Christ's sake. You were here for all of a week when the twins were born? You hardly Skype us? Or call? I mean, you Skype with Lottie, and she's come to see you in London once in a blue moon but you know I can't haul seven kids to London. So I have every right to be bitter. You're my son Louis, you should come visit us more. Don't cry darling. It's okay." Louis hadn't realized he'd been crying until she'd said that, and he wipes at the tears.

"I hate myself. I hate that I don't come to visit. I hate that my work is the reason. I hate not seeing you guys, I love you all and miss you so much."

"I know darling, I know. It's okay though, you're okay. Now tell me why you can't sleep, hm? I know somethings on your mind."

"Harry." Louis admits. His mother rubs his back soothingly.

"What about him? He's quite lovely. Any boy who brings my baby home and is good to him is perfect in my books." Louis smiles at that. He sighs and looks his mum in the eyes. Her's look back at him with patience and understanding, waiting for him to open up. He remembers having these talks when he was fourteen and realizing he wasn't straight or even bi, and that he liked boys and only boys.

He remembers how helpful those talks really were, and so he finds himself spilling the beans about everything. He tells her how he and Harry met. He tells her about how they couldn't stop thinking about each other. How they had their first 'date' in a McDonalds (sparing her the details about the rushed rub off in the Mercedes afterwards) and how they really hadn't been away from each other since they met. How he and Harry talked about going fast and how Niall asked if Louis was going to hurt him. How he overhead Lou and Harry talking (his mum was surprised to hear that Louise and Harry are cousins), and how his brain hurt with all the thoughts blurring and muddling together in his brain. Basically everything that happened over the last six days came out in one garbled mess of words.

"Am I wrong to feel this way? We've barely known each other a week and- and I just feel like everything is happening so fast but- but I don't even mind because this feels normal? It feels good- so good- and it's terrifying because- we're not like... officially dating? And I overheard them and maybe he feels the same way but- what if things are going so fast it'll crash and burn and will blow up the sun? Am I just being overly worried? What's wrong with me?" He whines as he presses his face into his hands. His mother chuckles softly and rubs his back.

"It's what we parent's would call a budding romance. It happens fast and it's wonderful and sometimes bloom into something so much more. It's all about the way the two people in this budding romance go about their feelings, and how they deal with them. If you like him, make it known. Don't leave him hanging on the hope that you do, it'll only complicate things. You know that." Louis frowns at the memory of his ex.

"Do you... do you think I should take some time for myself to figure out what I want? Or how I really feel?"

"I think you should do what you feel is going to help you see how you're feeling. But I also think that you and Harry have something, but that's just my perspective. I think he's lovely, he's charming. I can see how happy he makes you, but it's all up to you babe." Louis nods. An idea hits him.

"I have a wedding I'm planning, it's a destination wedding in Spain, and the couple is going over a week earlier to ensure everything is perfect and then the wedding is at the end of the week. They want me to go over with them, and they were going to pay for it, but I was going to stay behind, work from home and just fly over for the day of the wedding... But I could tell them that I could go with them for the week? It would ensure that the wedding went flawlessly, but it'd also give me a week to take the time to think?" Jay smiles at him and tucks a long piece of hair behind his ear like she loved doing as a child and Louis always hated.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Plus, it's a free trip to Spain." Louis chuckles but he gives his mum a look.

"Believe me, with the work that I've been doing for this wedding, it ain't free. But I'll get a wicked tan, so that's ace." Jay laughs softly, keeping her voice down to not wake the kids, and rests her chin on Louis' shoulder.

"I miss you, boo. I miss my oldest baby." She says softly and Louis' heart tugs, he holds her closer, kissing her forehead and letting himself cherish the small moment.

"I miss you too mum, I miss you too."

**  
  
**

*

**  
  
**

Louis is the definition of relaxed. You'd think with six kids running around everywhere that he'd be the definition of insane, but seeing his siblings and seeing his mum and actually talking to his mum about things made him his happiest self, the happiest he'd been in a long time. After a tearful but happy goodbye, a lot of kisses to the cheeks and a bunch of promises to come visit more, Harry and Louis hit the road and arrive in London, and Harry drops Louis off at his flat and looks like he's about to follow Louis into the building, but can sense from Louis' brief kiss and a million thank you's that maybe he's not invited. Louis watches Harry drive away and immediately his head feels clearer but his chest feels tighter. It doesn't feel right.

He trudges up the stairs to his apartment and is surprised to see Zayn sitting at his kitchen island in comfy clothing, holding a bottle of Louis' good Merlot and his darling Duchess awaiting his return with him. Louis can't help but grin.

"Just what Dr. Jay ordered?"

"Her prescriptions are always the best." Louis says and takes a big swig of the delicious wine straight from the bottle. Duchess gives him a head butt as a 'welcome home asshole' and Zayn nods towards the balcony and holds up a baggie with a spliff in it. Yeah, this is exactly what he needs.

**  
  
**

*

**  
  
**

Harry sits on Niall's couch and thinks of all the things he's done wrong in his life. There was the time he cut Gemma's hair with crazy scissors on picture day, so she had to wear a bandana to hide her jig jag bangs, and had to wait a full summer before the cut grew out and could have it fixed. There was the time he dated Cara in ninth grade to pretend he was straight until he couldn't take her planning their wedding any longer and he kissed a boy in front of her as his way of coming out. He also kissed that boy at random and inevitably got that kid out of the closet too, so maybe that wasn't so bad. He did eat candies from the corner store that one time, and his mum told him that was considered stealing and he cried about it for days before returning to the store and paying the owner the five dollars he ate in candy and even offered to work for free to make up for it(though the shop keeper said that wasn't necessary). He once told a lie to his mum, telling her he still believed in Santa, even when he really knew she was the one loading presents under the tree from their hiding place under her bed.

**  
  
**

But of all these 'bad' things Harry's done, not one explains why Louis hasn't text him in five days. He thought things were going well, thought Louis was happy and liked him, and maybe it just felt odd because for the past week they've been inseparable and even when they weren't together they were still texting, or even FaceTiming. Harry literally feels like a kicked puppy. Niall can sense it too.

"Have you called him?"

"Yeah, like four times, every time I get voicemail." Harry sighs.

"Have you left a message?"

"I hate leaving those." Harry pouts at Niall who rolls his eyes.

"Well try leaving one." Harry doesn't argue this, he pulls out his phone and scrolls through his contacts to Loubear (two heart eye emojis and a red heart, not that anyone cares) and hits the dial button. It rings and rings until it beeps and says 'Hi you've reached Louis, right now I'm probably off doing something mischivous - Zayn I don't sound like that- you do- anyways, leave a message or dont! - Give me that you twat-' and then there's the beep. Harry's heart is in his throat when he speaks.

"Hi. It's uh- it's me, Harry. I just wanted to see if you were okay, you haven't been answering my texts or calls so I was just checking in... I- have I done something? I mean, I dont think I have but I can't help but feel like I have... if I have can you just- can you tell me what it is I did? I just- I miss you. So yeah, please call me back, Lou. Okay, bye." Harry hangs up and smacks his forehead.

"I sounded like a lovesick puppy being kicked. I'm calling back." He redials. The message plays and then the beep, and Harry gets out "I'm sorry I sounded clingy. Just- yeah, sorry." before he's throwing his phone across the room to the other couch. Niall comes out from the kitchen and hands Harry his beer. Harry holds it but doesn't drink. Niall finishes off the sandwich he was eating and chugs his beer as he sits beside Harry, gearing up the press play on the movie they're about watch.

"Maybe he lost his phone? Or maybe he broke it? Or maybe-"

"Or maybe he thinks I'm an overly clingy idiot who was reading into more than a friends with benefits relationship so he's ignoring me. Perhaps I should get the picture." Harry frowns down at his hands and Niall sighs.

"He's probably got his phone off mate, or maybe he really did lose it."

"Or maybe I lost him before I even had him." Harry replies sadly and shuts up. He doesn't say a word for the remainder of the movie and his phone doesn't buzz once. Maybe he really has lost him.

*

**  
  
**

Louis' laying on the beach in Spain on his time off when his phone rings for the second time. He knows who it is, and he sighs. It's been difficult not to cave and text him. And Zayn's no help to distract him because he's only told Louis to 'fuck off and text him back' about ten million times in five days, maybe that's because all Louis does is whine over texts about Harry. So he doesn't dare touch his phone, even after hearing the ding that means he's left a voicemail. Instead he pushes his sunglasses up on his nose and cracks open Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and tries to distract himself.

After a few chapters he puts the book down and rolls onto his stomach. He wants an even tan for when he goes home. This trip hasn't been completely horrible. He has meetings in the mornings to finalize everything for Nora and Mike, and his afternoons are free to himself so he's spent them on the beach and shopping for his sisters (and Harry, but he doesn't think about the tiny bag of things for him in his suitcase). The wedding is in two days and then he's home. He'll have to face Harry. He's dreading it.

His phone rings again, but this time it's his general ring tone. He slides it open immediately.

"Hello?"

"You're a wanker." Louis cringes at the voice on the other end.

"Niall-"

"No you listen to me. You're a total fucking wanker okay? You said you weren't going to hurt him, but not answering his texts or calls or letting him know you're okay is wrong, and it's hurting him. I hate watching my best friend be like this, hate seeing him cry when he gets his heart fucking ripped out of his chest. I hate people who do shit to him that makes him feel this way. You said you weren't going to hurt him Louis but you're doing it right now and I don't like people I can't trust when they give their word. I-"

"Niall, please just stop. Listen to me for a minute okay?" Niall grunts and Louis takes that as a 'go ahead'.

"I'm in Spain, as we speak. I'm here working, doing my job as a wedding planner. And before you say anything, yes, I can get texts and answer calls obviously, and yes I've seen his messages. And there is a reason I haven't answered them, so hear me out before you go ape shit on me. Okay? I promised I wouldn't hurt him, and I know right now from what you said that not answering him is hurting him. And as much as I hate that, I really need to not answer him right now because I'm so lost and my brain is in shambles and I need to sort shit out. I thought that being away from him for a week would give me a chance to think but all I can think about is him and he keeps texting me and you have no fucking clue how hard it is not to listen to those voicemails he left or answer every single text he's written me or call him back and tell him how fucking scared I am that I might be falling for him, even in such a short time of knowing him. I've never been more afraid of anything in my life as much as this. I'm trying to do this so I won't hurt him even more than I am right now. The thought of really hurting him physically pains me. You still there?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm here. Listen, Harry's gonna be back from the bathroom any minute, he doesn't know I've called you... I understand where you're coming from now. I still don’t think it's right, not telling him anything, but I get it. Now I'm not going to tell him I've talked to you, but I think that when you get back from Spain you should call him. Or message him. Or tell him to pick you up at the bloody airport for all I care. And when you've made your decision, break it to him lightly if it's bad. It may make it easier to put the pieces of him back together again this time. Okay? No I don't want a years subscription to your Holy magazine! I've found Jesus meself, thanks. Goodbye." And Niall's gone. Louis actually laughs at his way of parting knowing Harry had come into the room but he can't help but feel the weight of Niall's words, feel the cut of them like a knife.

__

_Break it to him lightly if it's bad. It may make it easier to put the pieces of him back together again this time._

Louis' can't bear the thought of hurting Harry so much that it completely shatters him, can't imagine him so hurt that Niall would have to put him back together again. He wants to kill anyone who's ever made him feel that way. He wants to protect him and take care of him, he doesn't want anyone to ever make Harry feel that way again. And then Louis realizes exactly what he's thinking, and he realizes that he's just found the answer he was looking for, he doesn't need to think anymore. Louis feels the sudden urge to go home. He wants to go home now and see Harry, tell him everything, but he knows he has work to do. He picks up his towel and grabs his book and his phone and makes his way up the beach to the hotel he and his clients are staying in. He pulls his room key out of his swim trunks and presses it into the lift and the door slides open to reveal his clients, Nora and Mike. They smile at him and he smiles back.

"Louis, just the person we've been wanting to see." They step out of the elevator and he follows them at Nora's request. They go into the bar area and they sit at a table and Louis isn't sure if this is good or bad but as soon as Mike starts ordering drinks for three he thinks it's a good thing. He hopes.

"Everything is coming together perfectly." Louis says as he sips his martini. Nora smiles at him over her drink.

"Indeed. Our family has started to arrive and are enjoying the sights and the sun."

"Is everything done and double checked?" Mike asks and Louis nods.

"Yes, everything is confirmed, the photographer arrived this morning, the caterers here are fantastic, the cake is near finished and the venue is all set. Everything is in order for your big day." Louis boasts.

"Good, good." Louis doesn't think, he just goes for it.

"With that being said, something at home has come up, and with everything in place, plus your maid of honour has been tailing me anyways to ensure everything is done right-"

"You don't want to stay? It's Spain," Nora gestures. Louis knows what he's passing up. He smiles at her.

"Yes, it's Spain, and Spain is lovely, it's been wonderful and I'm gloriously tanned but- but there's someone at home that I have wronged that I need to make right, and it really doesn't feel completely right being here when he's at home and upset with me."

"We completely understand, Louis. So you know, your plane ticket is open ended, so whenever you're ready to fly home you just go to the airport and climb on the next plane home." Louis grins at them like they've given him a new car. He shakes their hands and hugs Nora.

"Thank you for understanding. You're going to be beautiful and your wedding will go without fail. Tell your maid of honour she better have my back." He teases and Nora laughs.

"Thank you again Louis, and good luck with your lad at home. He must really be special." Louis smiles fondly.

"Yeah, he really is." Louis admits and he excuses himself with a simple farewell and a promise to check up after the honey moon and then he's running to his hotel room to throw all his clothes into his suitcase, not caring if the clothes were clean or dirty and not worrying about wrinkles. He just wanted to get home.

"Hi, can you call a taxi for room 201? Going to the airport. Thank you." Louis puts down the hotel room phone and triple checks that he's not forgotten anything. He looks at his phone. There's no new messages or calls from Harry. Louis frowns.

He decides to not message Harry until he's at the airport. With his bags packed he goes downstairs and waits for the taxi, and as he's about to leave he waves to Nora and Mike, who stand in the lobby. The drive to the airport is short and Louis goes to the help desk to check which flight he can get on to get back home.

"You're in luck, there's plan boarding in fifteen minutes for London. The only seat is in first class though. You've only got a normal economy ticket though." She frowns. Louis' heart pumps in his chest. She senses his panic.

"What's got you going home in such a rush?" She asks him.

"Trying to salvage a possible relationship with a guy I really like." He admits. The woman smiles at him. He hears something from under the desk and the woman reaches down and smiles.

"Here you are sir, your fixed ticket. I'm terribly sorry the first one was faulty." She says and hands him a different ticket. He knits his eyebrows in confusion and looks at the new ticket. First class.

"But-"

"Go get that boy." She whispers and winks. Then she turns back to the computer as if she never knew Louis was even there. Louis opens and closes his mouth like a fish before he's grinning and running off to the store to purchase a magazine (or three) to read on the plane. He goes to the boarding gate and puts his suitcase in luggage to load, and then waits for the plane to start boarding.

When he finally gets in his seat he shoots a quick text to Zayn telling him he's coming home. Zayn sends back a text that starts with a thumbs up emoji and says _have a safe flight, see you when you're home. x_ and then he gets another saying _hope all goes well with Harry. Keep me posted. x_  which reminds him that he has to text Harry first.

Should he even try to ask him to come to LHR to get him? He decides the worst thing that can happen is Harry doesn't answer him and hates him forever and he can always just take a cab home. So he writes and rewrites his text until he settles with _Hi. I know I'm a twat, but I can explain. Meet me at LHR in three hours. If you do come and don't totally hate me I expect a sign with my name on it with glitters and everything. xx_ and then realizes it sounds demanding and quickly sends _I was only kidding about the sign, but I do hope you'll come. xx_ before the stewardess is asking him to shut off his phone and he has no choice in the matter, so it goes off and his magazines come out and he gets a bottle of water from the cart for the remainder of his two hour ten minute flight.

He always hates take offs, he feels like he's going to throw up and his ears pop. But as soon as they're in the air he loves looking out the window, seeing the clouds around them and the world below them and just relishes in the feeling of floating. He's through two and a half wedding magazines and six chapters of Harry Potter before they're about to land and he begins to put everything away in his rucksack and grips the seat as the plane makes contact with the ground and they roll smoothly onto the tarmac. His stomach is in knots as he disembarks the plane and stumbles into the airport and locates his luggage. His heart is literally pounding, his head praying that Harry is here, that he didn't just decide to tell Louis to fuck off. He never thought to look at his phone but he's too afraid to now. He makes his way to the escalators to go to the main entrance and climbs on the down one. His eyes scan the multitude of signs, looking for a familiar set of curls to go with the sign but he doesn't see them and he frowns. Maybe he royally fucked up. But then over the heads of short limo drivers and rental car drivers and family members he sees them. And he just fucking knows it's him because there's the blue headscarf Louis bought him pushing back those curls. And as he comes into view he's so beautiful Louis could cry. Harry shoulders past the drivers and stands right between the line of people waiting and the escalator where Louis is now pushing his way down past people, and Louis nearly dies. Harry is standing there grinning, holding up a sign about his head that reads 'Louis' in neat boy writing and- _there's fucking glitter._

 

Louis abandons all cares in the world when he reaches the end of the escalator. He tugs his suitcase behind him before he just leaves it and runs for him. Harry swoops him up and into his arms and is kissing him before he can even get a letter of a word out. Louis can deal with that. To others it probably looks like they haven't seen each other in years, a happy reunion that deserves applause (they get a few hoots and hollers and some clapping, they don’t notice). Louis wouldn't correct them if they asked. When Harry pulls away his eyes are red and he's not crying but they're welled up and Louis just smiles fondly at him and he probably looks just as wrecked.

"I didn't know if you would come." Louis murmurs and Harry just watches him. Louis looks to his feet and then back up at Harry. "'m so sorry." Is all Louis says but Harry shakes his head and tugs him close again.

"It's okay, I forgive you. It's okay." Harry murmurs into Louis' ear and kisses his cheek and Louis feels like he should pull away because he doesn't deserve this but he's too selfish to do that.

"C'mon, let's go to the car and we can talk. Yeah?" And Louis just nods because if he opens his mouth again he might just lose it. He simply lets Harry take his hand, collects his suitcase in the other and follows as Harry brings him to the Mercedes. His chest feels slightly lighter in the familiarity of it. He gets in the front seat and Harry in the drivers seat and then begin driving. He doesn't know where they're going, but he doesn't say anything until Harry speaks first.

"I'm not sure where we're going, if I'm honest." Louis smiles at that.

"We could go to my flat, to talk and have tea?" Harry just nods, gets going in the direction of Louis' place and places a hand on Louis' thigh, upturned for Louis to hold. Louis doesn't object to that.

When they reach Louis' building the ride up in the lift is tense. Louis feels like crying and snogging the hell out of Harry right now, but he does neither and keeps his hands to himself. Inside, Louis puts his suitcase at the base of his stairs and sets to work at making them tea. Harry sits at the island and waits patiently. Louis' hands shake as he reaches for cups, shakes when he's getting two spoons out, shakes when he's putting a spoonful of sugar in Harry's tea and nearly collapses when Harry's hand covers his and hears the soft and cautious "Louis' falling from Harry's lips. It makes him flinch and sigh and fall into Harry's arms, taking a big breath in and smelling only Harry, making his eyes prickle with tears.

"I'm so sorry. So sorry I made you feel like shit, I'm sorry I hurt you. I promised Niall I wouldn't do that- I was just so overwhelmed and confused and I knew what I wanted but I was afraid and couldn't admit it-" Harry kisses him to shut him up.

"I barely caught any of that. Slow down, we've got time." He says calmly and Louis nods. He breathes in deeply and looks up at Harry.

"I'm a twat."

"Well yes, we've established that by text."

"I royally fucked up, H. I hurt you and I promised Niall and myself I wouldn't. I never wanted and never want to hurt you anymore than I have already, which I feel terrible about... I just- I was scared and confused- I was feeling so many things at once and it was so overwhelming I felt like I couldn't breathe most of the time-" He frowns. It's not coming out as he had hoped it would.

"Let me start again, I can do better. We've... we've only known each other two weeks H, and those two weeks have been my most happiest in the longest time. Or rather the first week, because this second week has been nothing but dreadful. I- it started in Leeds, I- I overheard you and Lou's conversation-" Harry tenses and Louis meets his panicked eyes "-and it only made the feelings I was suppressing more real, more terrifying and knowing you were thinking the same thing I was- I freaked out. I had a super big freak out in my mind for the rest of the night. And then I thought we'd be home and I could just space myself from you to try and think- you're very distracting, you know. Those curls distract me a lot- but then we ended up stopping and spending time with my family and it only made things worse and so much better because fuck- you're so good with my family, my mum adores you and my siblings love that you let them do what they want to you and it made me realize just how serious things were and it made it so hard to focus I literally had to take medicine to stop my head from aching..." He pauses to catch his breath.

"I just- I talked to my mum for the first time in a long time and she told me to find out what I wanted, and I said I needed space to do that and remembered the destination wedding I'd been planning and they offered for me to go to Spain with them to ensure a smooth wedding so I went without telling you- without calling or texting or anything so I could think. But all I could think about was you, missing you, wanting to reply to your texts and your calls and wanting to tell you how I was feeling but I just couldn't. And then today... you left two voicemails I haven't listened to, and Niall called me and told me off and it helped me think clearly for once, he... he said that if I was going to end things badly, to do it lightly so when you fall apart it would be easier to put you back together again. And before you get mad at Niall, don't because he really helped me understand a lot... and what he said made me really think about hurting you, and how I never want to do that. How I never want anyone to do that, because I can't bear the thought of you falling apart, especially because of me. And I knew I needed to talk to you as soon as I could before it was too late because... I don't want to lose this. I hopped on the soonest flight and I'm here now... I'm here now to tell you I have feelings for you Harry, big scary feelings that seem crazy to have after barely knowing each other two weeks but I feel like I've known you a lifetime. I never want to hurt you again, want to protect you in any way I can, and I want to be with you if you'll let me." Harry is quiet. He's watching every movement Louis makes and his eyes water and a tear falls and Louis brushes it away and Harry cracks. A soft sobbing noise is heard and he buries his face in Louis' shoulder and holds him tight.

"Thank God." he breathes out and Louis breathes him in.

"Say something." Louis whispers.

"Something."Harry says back in a watery voice. Louis smiles. Harry pulls back and Louis wipes his eyes for him and Harry kisses him.

"I'm so happy-" Harry presses his forehead to Louis' and Louis closes his eyes.

"Does that mean-"

"I feel the same way about you, idiot. I've felt it since we met. I knew I wanted this, I just didn't want to say anything and ruin it. I was going to take as much as I could get of you, even just friends with benefits would've been enough for me. But yes, yes I want everything. Please." And Louis is grinning and trying to kiss Harry right then and his chest explodes and any worry he had and any confusion he felt immediately disappears and is replaced by happiness and relief and a bubbly sort of feeling in his stomach. He feels drunk and giddy. He also feels dead tired.

"I think I was on a high of some sort, I'm exhausted. Haven't got much sleep in Spain." He admits to Harry, who's smiling at him.

"Mmm, but you look bloody gorgeous all tanned." Harry says and bites his lip.

"Can we have a nap? My bed is like a cloud if I recall correctly." Harry hums in reply.

"I'd very much like a long cuddle, and kisses." He yawns right then. "Hm. Maybe some sleep too. Sleep works." He kisses Louis' cheek and leads the way with Louis following close behind him, and if you'd told Louis this morning that he'd be going to bed with Harry beside him and officially his he'd tell you you're dreaming. But now curled up in Harry's arms Louis sleeps peacefully for the first time in over a week and he prays to never wake up from the dream he's living.

*

Louis wakes up to the smell of food. He's  not in Spain anymore. He's in his bed and the sky outside is dimming. Everything comes back to him and he cant help but grin into his pillow. Harry is here and his and- he's coming into the room right now. Louis pretends to be asleep but he's smiling still and he can hear the happy hum from Harry.

"I know you're awake. You don't smile when you sleep." Louis' eyes flutter open and there's Harry in his boxers and nothing else but a ridiculous headscarf. Louis stretches and Harry takes the opportunity to climb in the bed and curl up next to him. He smells like mint and tea and Harry.

"Hi." Louis breathes out and wraps his arms around Harry's soft shirtless shoulders.

"Oops." And that makes Louis beam.

"Maybe that could be our always." Louis says dreamily and Harry snorts.

"You did not just quote John Green."

"Ah, but I did. You love it." He hums and runs his fingers through unruly curls.

"Yeah." Harry breathes out.

"Foods probably getting cold. I decided to make dinner for breakfast because I couldn't resist your kitchen any longer."

"Breakfast?" Louis repeats, confused.

"It's six in the morning, Lou. We slept all night. I suppose we were both pretty exhausted. Anyways, c'mon now, I'm hungry."

Harry pulls a tee shirt on much to Louis’ protest, but Louis decides to get out of his plane stale clothes and grabs Harry’s big fluffy grey sweater that he stole from his discarded suitcase and pulls it over his head. When Harry sees this image of Louis in nothing but his sweater and a pair of boxers he bites his lip and averts his eyes  holds his hand out for Louis to hold. As they leave the room Louis follows him like a puppy and when he reaches the kitchen he sees his dining room table has been set for two, two steaming plates of something that smells delicious and two glasses of wine. Louis should have been thinking about how Harry knew his way around his kitchen so well but his stomach grumbles and he thinks he can ask at a later time. Harry and him sit at the table and Harry picks up his wine and Louis does the same and he smiles at Harry.

"Here’s to us." Harry says.

"To us." Louis echoes. They clink and sip their wine and Louis looks down at his plate. There's chicken breast coated and seasoned beautifully and it's served with a white creamy pasta and there’s a side of niblet corn as well.

“I was going to do asparagus but you don’t seem to have any, I was lucky to find everything I did.”

“Yeah, it’s been pretty bare lately in here, but I really am a terrible cook so I usually live off takeaway and boxed food.” Louis admits and Harry laughs.

“It’s okay, I’m a great cook. I used to work in a bakery when I was younger, so I’m a pretty swell baker too.”

“Confident, aren’t we?” He teases but as soon as he has a mouthful of chicken he moans.

“Fuck, you’re hired as my personal chef, yeah?” Harry grins and nods at him. They continue to eat and Harry clicks the button to open the curtains and reveal the now bright and sunny morning.

“You’ve made yourself quite at home, mister.” Harry blushes.

“I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. Move in why don’t you?” Louis jokes but Harry just smiles down at his food. The two continue to chat about their week, Louis about Spain and Harry about two weddings he attended in the past week alone.

“You’re always a groomsmen never a groom?” Louis quips and Harry grins.

“You remember me saying that…” He notes.

“And Lou.” Louis puts in as a side thought.

“Oh… Yeah.” Harry murmurs.

“About that, I’m sorry I never mentioned my overhearing of that. Or rather my eavesdropping in on it?” Louis admits and Harry gives him a soft sort of smile that makes him think

“Is it what caused your big freak out?” Harry asks.

“Partly? But only because I realized you were feeling the same way as me.” Harry nods as if he understands and rubs the back of Louis’ hand where it’s clutched in his.

“You know I was having a panic about it too, yeah? Went right nutters to Niall about it. Don’t feel bad.”

Louis smiles because he can only imagine Harry having a major flip out like he had, sprawled across Niall’s bed and whining about it. It makes him laugh and makes Harry bite his lip to keep himself from laughing too. Harry looks down at their empty plates and collects them  and Louis stands and begins to head to his balcony. He hears Harry rinsing the dishes and then putting them into the dishwasher and then he sees Harry turn around and smile at him. He nods his head and Harry follows him to the balcony. The air is sweet and it’s warmer than normal mornings. Louis sits on one the seats closes his eyes and breathes deeply in. Harry leans against the door frame and watches Louis relax into the chair. If Harry didn’t know better he could safely assume Louis was sleeping. He looked so peaceful.

“This is my favourite place, out here. I like to read or just think about things. It’s calm and quiet… Sometimes I come and watch the sun set just beyond Ben, and watch the Eye turn ever so slow in the distance. When I’m stressed I drink my tea out here. Duchess likes it out here too.” Louis says as he watches the horizon. Harry only has eyes for him. Louis is so beautiful. Harry tells him so.

“You’re quite the looker yourself, mister. I’d quite like to go back to bed and cuddle for a bit if you don't mind, maybe kiss a little?”

“Only a little?” Harry asks, playing along as Louis walks slowly over to him with a mischievous look in his eyes.

“Hm… maybe you could convince me to change my mind.” Louis’ hands find Harry’s waist and Harry’s breath isn’t knocked out of him from the look Louis is giving him, it’s not. Harry’s hips stutter and his whole body tenses and Louis’ senses the change. His smile is soft and his eyes are fond and also seductive.

“You okay?” Louis asks softly.

“I am it’s just- are you okay?” Harry breathes out. Louis hesitantly places a kiss on Harry’s lips.

“Better than.”

“It’s just- the last time I asked you if we were going too fast, you said it was okay but then… things happened and-”

“Hey, H, sh. It’s not going to be like that again. I promise.” He brushes his knuckles against Harry’s stubbly cheek. Harry nods.

“Okay. Yeah. Okay. Okay.” Harry says and meets Louis’ eyes and smiles. Harry’s eyes darken and Louis can sense the shift in him. He bites his lip and Harry quirks an eyebrow. “Now, tell me what it was you wanted again?” Louis smiles back.

“Cuddles. And kisses.” Harry takes this opportunity to roll his hips against Louis’. _He’s hard_. Louis grins wickedly.

“Yeah, maybe some of that too.”

**  
  
**

*

**  
  
  
**

Two weeks later, Louis gets to attend a wedding with Harry as his plus one. He has to sit at a different table for the dinner because Harry’s in the wedding party again but as soon as the dinner is over and the dancing starts, Louis and Harry are glued to each other. They go into the photo booth the couple rented, taking all sorts of pictures. Louis holding up a mustache on a stick, Harry a pair of red glasses and a bowtie smaller than his real one with a funny face. Harry and Louis smiling at each other. A play by play picture set of them kissing before holding up a ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ sign. When they exit they take their strips of photos and laugh about them. Louis puts them in his inner coat pocket to take home and frame because they’re cheesy saps. They dance the night away and come home to Louis’ flat, giggling and champagne tipsy. They make it to the bedroom before kicking Duchess out of the room before putting a sock on the door (with the knowledge that blow jobs were to follow).

A week after that they’re curled up on Harry’s couch watching Aristocats and Duchess is curled up in the chair Niall once sat in (because they alternate being at each others flat for a few days and Duchess was cross when she returned home from Zayn’s on their third rotation of being at Harry’s) and Louis’ phone decides to vibrate in his pocket just as he settles himself on top of Harry, kissing him slowly. He huffs out in frustration and looks at his caller ID. He grimaces as he answers.

“What do you want, asshat.” He says in a grouchy tone and Zayn tuts on speaker phone from the other end of the line.

“Now why would you call me asshat when I’ve just called to invite you to a VIP party? Hm?” Louis straightens up and climbs off of Harry (much to Harry’s futile whines of protest).

“Will Beyonce be there?” Louis asks with a funny sort of hopeful grin.

“I don’t know, she turned up at the last one, I assume she’ll be there. But perhaps I should take Liam, I’m sure he’d love to talk to Usher again.” Harry froze.

“Wait, Liam? What’s his last name?”

“Payne.” Both Louis and Zayn say. Harry grins.

“Shit, you know my Liam! Or rather, Niall’s Liam, but still! That’s too weird, us both knowing Lou and Liam.” Louis grins at him.

“Meant to be, babe.” Which causes Harry to beam and blush.

“Also, Becks’ going to be there this time. He called Pezza to confirm the address. Not sure about Posh though, but Becks’ for sure going to be there.” Zayn says and Louis near drops his phone.

“No bloody way! Really, oh Zayn I love you so much- I love your fiancé so much- fuck yes! So when is this party?”

“Starts at eight tonight.”

“Zayn, that’s in three hours.” Louis says as if Zayn didn’t realize this.

“I know, I wouldn’t be cleaning the place with Pezza if it wasn’t. She fired the maid again. Although this time the broad was  trying to steal Perrie’s hair from her hair brush for money on Ebay. And my paintings. She tried to take my cartoon Batman, Lou. BAT. MAN. To say Perrie dragged her out by her hair was a understatement.” Louis nearly laughed but then he caught sight of Harry looking at his hands, glum. He knits his eyebrows in confusion.

“Why so glum, chum?” Louis sits beside Harry and Harry meets his eyes.

“I just- I know we’ve been spending so much time together I just thought tonight we were going to watch Disneys but now you’re going to a party-”

“Harry, you don’t actually think I’d invite Louis and not you, did you?” Zayn says out loud and Harry is surprised, he and Zayn have hardly ever spoken to each other, nor had they met. “I know you and Louis come as a package deal now, besides I want to meet you and I want Louis to make a proper ass out of himself when he talks to Beyonce again. And this time it’ll be in front of you so you can see what an idiot you’re dating.” Louis frowns at the phone.

“For your information Beyonce happened to like me, she even flicked her hair and everything. You’re just jealous.” Louis defended.

“Louis, you were drunk when you last talked to her, you managed to get her to sing a drunken rendition of Drunk in Love with you, and you asked her to compete in a twerking contest to see whose ass was more Bootylicious. She’s probably still laughing at you, mate.” Harry let out a cackle and Louis let out an indignant squawk and Zayn laughs on the other end of the line.

“Just get ready, ya dink. I’ll see you soon.” The other end dropped off and Louis looks at Harry and grins.

“Just you wait, this will be the party of your life.” Harry laughs and tackles Louis and snogs him breathless and Louis grins up at him.

“We’ve got to get ready, snog me in the shower.” He pushes Harry off and drops his pants off quickly, strutting to the bathroom naked with a knowing smirk that Harry was following behind him like a puppy, just as he intended.

*

**  
  
**

“Where are they?” Louis shouts over the loud pounding music of the party.

They just arrived and were given champagne and Louis was scoping out to find Zayn and Perrie, the party throwers. Harry Shrugs. He’s never met Zayn face to face, he’s only heard his voice and has seen photos, so he scans for the image he’s seen all over Louis’ house in photos. He also looks for the purple grey hair of Perrie Edwards from Little Mix. His stomach gives a quick turn. He just passed Matt Healy from The 1975. Olly Murs just bumped into him and apologized. Cher Lloyd is dancing on a table in the corner with her husband. Jesy Nelson and Leigh Anne are having a lip sync battle on the dance floor, and Leona Lewis is singing a drunken rendition of some song Harry used to love. He’s a bit overwhelmed. Louis looks in his element and is even greeted by most of the people attending the party. He dances his way through the mass and holds Harry’s hand tightly so he doesn’t lose him.

“Mind if I steal your man for a dance?” Someone shouts and Harry and Louis both spot Perrie at the same time, she popped up right in front of them with a big grin. She’s got a white crop top and a pink mini skirt on and a flower crown on. Her eyelashes are crazy big and she looks phenomenal. Louis laughs and kisses her cheek.

“Only if I can steal yours for a drink. How’re you, love? Been months since I’ve seen you! My little star off touring the planet!” Louis and her banter and Harry simply watches until Perrie turns and throws her arms around him and kisses both his cheeks, hugging him tightly.

“Oh it’s so lovely to meet you! Louis speaks nothing but adorable things about you! I’m Perrie, you can call me Pezza, it’s what I get from the boys, and the girls too.” She grins at him and he grins back. And then when he looks to the left of him there’s Louis and a guy who can only be known as Zayn. They’re smiling and watching their significant other and chatting with drinks in their hands. When they realize they're being watched too they make their way over from their current spot and snuggle up close to Perrie and Zayn.

“You two make a beautiful couple. When is the wedding?” Harry asks and Zayn gives him a smile from where his chin rests on Perrie’s middle.

“Next year, sometime. We’re still working out details, think dink has to help us plan it.”

“I’m gonna be rich after this wedding.”

“You only love us for our money, eh Lou?” Perrie teases and Louis grins.

“Totally. I’m just your friend so I can plan your wedding and charge you a fortune.” Harry can tell it’s banter, the look of love in Perrie’s eyes for Louis was one Harry could see in everyones eye’s who ever met Louis. Including Harry. You can’t help but love him. It’s inevitable. And when Harry realizes this, that he’s unknowingly just admitted he loves Louis to himself, he stiffens. Louis tenses too, feeling the shift in Harry, he stops mid sentence and looks back at him with worried eyes and a soft smile.

“You okay?” And Harry smiles but inside he’s a bit panicked because yes, he falls fast and wears his heart on his sleeve but falling for someone and admitting you love someone are different, love means a lot more to Harry and he doesn’t just throw it around like some people do. Nevertheless Harry nods and tries to seem like he hasn’t just discovered something that was so obvious but it was like a hidden nail in the floor to Harry that he stepped on accidentally and couldn’t get out of his foot, or in this case his head. Louis presses a kiss to his cheek and eyes him cautiously and Harry tries to appear as if nothing is wrong.

“Louis!” A voice shouts behind them and Louis whips around and nearly knocks Harry over. Beyonce is calling his fucking name. He grins up at HArry who looks surprised that the story was real.

“B!” Louis shouts and she struts - fucking struts because she’s Beyonce - over to him and kisses his cheeks and then glances at Harry, who freezes because who the fuck wouldn’t in the face of the queen of music?

“Hi there sweetie.” She winks and Louis laughs when Harry squeaks and blushes, hiding his face in Louis’ shoulder and can’t hide the grin. She laughs, even her laugh is beautiful.

“He’s adorable! Keep hold of him or someone might snatch him up!” She jokes and Louis grins at her, pressing a kiss to Harry’s cheek again. Harry hums and kisses Louis’ neck.

“We on for a duet later?” She asks playfully and Louis laughs.

“Of course! This time I think we should do a medley.”

“Like Pentatonix style. I got you, boo.” She winks and struts away to talk to other guests. Harry blushes when Louis spins around, giggling.

“That’s so fucking cool!” He breathes into Harry’s neck. Harry wraps his arms around Louis’ waist and moulds himself to Louis.

“Get a drink babe, we’re going dancing.”

**  
  
**

After they’re both sufficiently buzzed, Louis drags Harry out to the swarm of people dancing on the dance floor of the main ballroom of the mansion. The music blares a steady beat and Louis tugs Harry close, grinding against him dirtily to the beat. Harry closes his eyes and lets the music and Louis take him away. They dance through countless songs until Louis spins him on a particularly fast one and grinds him from the front, and Harry can fully feel how hard Louis is in his jeans. He pants against Louis’ lips and they’re kissing before he breathes next and it’s so dirty, so messy and sweaty and hot and Louis nips his lip and kisses up his neck and whispers ‘let’s go somewhere private’ in his ear  and it’s all Harry can do to keep himself from sinking to his knees and sucking him right there. He manages to follow until they dip into a room upstairs and when he hears the click of the door shutting behind them he drops to his knees and begins mouthing at Louis’ cock through his jeans. Louis lets out a sharp breath and pulls on Harry’s hair, making him groan into Louis’ pants.

“Fuck Haz.”

“Please.”

“Come here.” Louis pants. Harry whines and shakes his head.

 

  
“Want it.” He pants back and Louis tightens his grip on Harry’s hair, looking down at him in the dimly lit room with a look that makes Harry twitch in his jeans.

“Get. Up. Here. Now.” And he gives a tug, making Harry climb up from his knees and become face to face with him. There’s spit at the corners of Harry’s mouth, his lips are obscene and glistening and his eyes are blown, wide and glassy and fuck he looks so hot Louis wants to cum right there.

“Don’t think you deserve it, not yet. Let me take care of you first, and if you’re good, maybe you can have what you want. Yeah?” They never really talk about this, what happens when they get like this. They know what each other wants, what they need.  Louis needs to take care of Harry, control him and make him feel good and Harry just wants to please Louis and make him happy, even if it’s miserable for himself. Louis never lets it get to that, he knows when not to push and when Harry needs a big shove. And maybe sometime when they’re not this hard, not this desperate and are clear headed enough to think, maybe then they’ll talk about this properly.

“Yeah, yeah please. Please Lou, fuck please.” Harry begging is a beautiful sound. It’s breathy and deep and whining and wanting and just Harry. You would think Harry would be the one to take the control, to use his height and his sex appeal to his advantage in taking anyone and turning them into a submissive pile of goo, but it was the exact opposite. He practically folded himself into your hands and let you use him anyway you wanted because it made him happy. Louis was more than obliged to make him happy.

“Stand against the wall, hands behind your back.” Louis whispers and Harry shivers, listening to him willingly. Louis peels Harry out of his trousers and touches him over the boxers. Harry shivers again and bites his bottom lip. Louis slips down to his knees and pulls down Harry’s boxers to see a beautiful, shiny hard cock in his face. He licks the tip to get a noise out of Harry before pinching his thigh to get him to keep quiet.

“Stay quiet, don’t want the guests to hear you right?” Like they’d ever hear him over the music. “And the only thing I want to hear from you is a warning of when you’re close.”

That’s all Louis says before he’s taking Harry’s cock in his mouth and sucking, tongue swirling the head. Harry’s knees tremble and he nearly loses it. He’s panting and he’s squeezing his eyes shut and biting his lip so hard he can taste blood and he’s trying so hard not to make noise but a moan slips out as Louis gets half of him in his mouth. Louis pulls off and raises a eyebrow, giving Harry a questioning look.

“Shall I stop? Shall we go back to the party like this?” He asks and traces his finger around Harry’s cock and Harry breathes heavily and shakes his head until he gets another slap to the thigh and he stops. “Then keep quiet.”

And he does remain quiet, he stays quiet as Louis runs his tongue along the underside of his cock, along the singular vein that would’ve otherwise made him scream; stays silent when Louis swallows around him, when Louis rolls his balls in the palm of his hand and when he manages to take all of Harry in his mouth, deep throating him. He all but loses it when Louis begins pumping up and down his length, hitting the back of Louis’ throat with every dip. Harry doesn’t even realize he’s doing it until he’s got one of his own fingers tracing his hole. It’s dry and a bit uncomfortable but the stretch isn’t bad and he’s fucking himself on one dry finger, working on two when Louis notices what he’s doing.

“Close, Lou.” he pants and ruts forward, and then back onto his own finger and groans. Louis puts his hands on Harry’s ass and feels his hand right beside his, and Louis’ hands inspect where Harry’s are and he gasps around Harry’s cock. He pulls off of Harry in surprise and slaps Harry’s hand away, leaving him empty and leaking precum. Harry feels like he’s going to cry.

“That wasn’t good, Harry. That was bad.”

“No.” He whispers and stares at his feet, humiliated.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” Louis asks in a demeaning tone.

“No, I’m sorry Lou- please- please let me cum.”

“No.” Harry lets out a soft sobbing noise. Louis leads him over to the bed in the room and bends him over the edge of the bed, pinning Harry’s arms behind him. Harry gasps, he doesn’t rut against the bed. He can sense what Louis is thinking, he’s going to spank him.

“Harry, is this- we’ve never done this or talked about it- is this okay? I can just make you cum-”

“No! Please- want this- please-” Harry wiggles his bum to emphasize what he wants and Louis nods though Harry can’t see him.

“Right then. Ten for being bad, for fingering yourself without permission and for not staying quiet when I asked.” Louis grabs the cheek of Harry’s ass hard, making Harry squirm. Before he really does anything to hurt Harry, he whispers: ‘tell me if it’s too much’ before laying a tentative smack to the right cheek of Harry’s ass, making him jump. Harry counts one in his head.

Louis alternates between cheeks, Harry never really knows where the next one will land, three to the left, two to the right before switching back to the left for one and then back to the right for two and the final and hardest to the left. Harry is panting and possibly crying by the end of it. Louis rubs his bum soothingly afterward, rubbing the pink flesh of his cheeks.

“Oh Hazza I- did I hurt you? Of course I did I was spanking you but I-”

“I’m not crying because it hurt- well it did hurt- but I wanted it to, trust me- it’s just a- a release. ‘m okay.” He lets out into Louis’ shoulder.

“Fuck, you’re incredible. I really wanted that, I didn’t even know I wanted that.” Louis says, surprised with himself. Harry grins like a little kid, giving a small hiccup into Louis’ black shirt.

“Mmmm, I quite liked that, thank you.”

“You’re thanking me for spanking the living shit out of you? You are something else, Styles.” Louis says with a laugh but he kisses Harry firmly and begins jerking Harry slowly. Harry gasps and buries his face in Louis’ neck, whining.

“Come on Hazza, you can cum now.”

And Harry let’s go, coating Louis’ hand in streams of cum, Louis being careful not to get it on the bed or on both of their clothing, they didn’t want to have to explain what just happened. When Harry finally opens his eyes Louis is jerking himself off lazily, watching Harry with a smile. Harry clumsily fumbles over to Louis and gives him a sloppy blowjob but Louis cums quickly so really, he can’t complain. The two lay on the bed that isn’t theirs and clean themselves up with the tissues on the side table, before pulling back on their trousers (Harry with Louis’ help because of his now beautifully sore bum) and slipping back down to the party.

When Zayn finds them, he takes one look at their flushed faces and dishevelled hair and makes a face at them.  “I don’t want to know what happened, or what bedroom it happened in, as long as you cleaned it up.”

Louis laughs and assures Zayn that it was in his bed and there’s a fresh cum stain on Zayn’s pillow which causes Zayn to call them bloody wankers and then catch himself on the terrible pun he hadn’t even intended on making. Beyonce calls Louis up to the karaoke machine to sing a duet of Love on Top and Harry can’t help but laugh at them because they look like they’re having a blast and he video tapes it for bragging rights it’s not everyday your boyfriend does a duet with Beyonce. But then their duet comes to a close, Beyonce jumps off the stage and is caught by Jay-Z and Louis turns and whispers to the DJ who nods and then Louis calls Harry up to the karaoke machine. Harry is surprised by this, but he goes with it and takes the sparkly pink mic from Louis and laughs when You’re The One That I Want starts playing. He says ‘tell me about it, stud’ just in time and continues to play along as Louis begins to sing Danny’s part. He sings his part and he’ll be damned if he and Louis do a half assed job, so they break out the synchronized dance moves that Danny and Sandy do in the movie and by the end of it they’re getting more applause than Louis and Beyonce, and there are multiple videos being uploaded to YouTube as soon as they’re off the makeshift stage. They continue to dance until the sun comes up and only stop when they physically cannot keep their eyes open anymore, falling into a bed together and not waking up until late in the day.

 

*

**  
  
**

A month passes, and in it were four more weddings Harry attends as a groomsman (and one where he’s man of honour because his best girlfriend from high school was marrying her wife and they wanted him in the party but the best man position had been filled), and ten more weddings Louis plans and pulls off without fail. There was also a party in honour of the hundred thousands views on a video of Harry and Louis’ duet on YouTube, a case of Duchess with the cat cold which left her in a sour mood that only Louis and Harry cuddles could cure (and icky medicine in her food that she hated them for) and two photographer mishaps that Harry happily covered for which led Louis to just continue to recommend Harry as the one to hire because he was always reliable.

Both of them have a day off and Louis declared it ‘blow my money on Harry’ day, so they take a trip to the mall and Louis gets Harry new headscarves (that Harry protests about but Louis demands Harry throws out the McQueen scarf that completely frayed because Harry wore it so much; Louis simply bought him a new one) and gets himself a new skateboard deck and a new pair of sunglasses (and sneaks in a pair for Harry too). They spend the afternoon trying to teach Harry to skateboard and end up at the A&E because Harry and skateboards are like cats and dogs; the skateboard won the battle and Harry left the hospital with five pretty stitches in his knee. Louis happily took care of him and called in reinforcements (Niall) to look after the patient while he brought home the money. And after two weeks of a whiny pouty faced Harry claiming he was fine, his stitches finally came out and he was deemed fit to go back to work and return to physical activity as long as he was careful, everything felt normal again.

**  
  
**

“So have you told him yet?” Niall asks as he holds up a shirt to his chest and looks in the mirror. The grimace on his face suggests he doesn’t like the maroon top and opts for the white polo shirt instead. Harry sits cross legged on the bed and watches Niall fiddle with his clothes.

“No. What if he doesn’t love me back? That’d ruin everything.”

“What if he does? It could make it even better!” He counters and Harry frowns at him.

“Not everyone can just blurt out they love someone, Niall.” Niall shrugs.

“Liam knew I loved him as soon as I met him. I told him so, he didn’t believe me though.” Harry sighs.

“Look H, you’re Harry Styles. You’re the guy who admitted he liked someone, boy or girl, when you were in diapers and barely could talk. You’re the kid who wears his heart on his sleeve. Anyone can see you love Louis, maybe Louis even knows. You just have to be brave enough to tell him. The worst he can say is he isn’t on that level yet, and that’s okay, because it’s something you can work up to. Okay?” Harry wasn’t so sure but he could tell Niall was only trying to help so he nods and looks down at his hands. His phone buzzes, Louis messaging telling him to pick him up from work like Harry promised (with like six x’s and a kissy face emoji with the heart) and he heaves himself off the bed and Niall meets his eyes.

“Lou?” Niall says and Harry nods.

“Going to pick him up now. Enjoy your date. Happy sex night.”

“Happy sex night to you too, mate! Get some! And tell him!”

Harry pulls up at the building and Louis hopes in the car, plants a kiss on his face and settles into his seat. He’s happy, but the smiles doesn’t touch his eyes so Harry senses something’s happened.

“Y’alright?” Harry asks on the way to Louis’ flat. Louis sighs.

“Yeah, I’m just really happy to see you. It’s just, my er- my ex showed up at work today, the fucking wanker, I hate him. He wanted to ‘check in’ on me, see how I was, - like fuck he was, he wanted to see if anyone else had gotten with me. He was two timing me with some other bloke. When I told him to get out and told him I had found someone who cared about me he started calling me names and shit like he used to. Anyway, I had his ass thrown out, but then when he left all I could think about was how he fucking hurt me. I was with him for like- a year and I thought he loved me, but he just loved the money I was making and the few famous people I knew, and my ass apparently. The fucking wankers a radio show host and he-”

“Wait, who’s your ex?” Harry asked, curiously.

“Nick fucking Grimshaw.” The car swerves and Harry nearly chokes.

“You dated Nick? I dated Nick. What the fuck.” He says hysterically.

“What are the fucking odds of that?” Louis laughs bitterly.

“We definitely know how to pick ‘em.” Harry says and Louis laughs again.

 

“He’s my ‘he who must not be named’.” Louis grins at Harry and Harry laughs and grins back.

“Mine too.” Louis sighs happily against Harry’s arm.

“I’m glad I got you, you know. Mine.” Louis says and kisses his arm, the closest part of him to Louis. Harry smiles and feels happy, content.

When they get back to Louis’, they get cuddled up in Louis’ bed. It doesn’t take much to fall into the happy routine of a make out session mid cuddle. This happened often, their naked cuddles usually led to these naked makeouts to naked blowjobs or handjobs and ended with naked showers and naps. Louis was sucking a lovebite into Harry’s collarbone when Harry decided he didn’t want to follow the routine, he wanted more.

“Lou-” He panted and Louis met his dark eyes.

“Yes?” He asks in a rough voice.

“I want you.” Louis smiles.

“I know babe, we’re getting to that.” Louis’ kisses down his stomach and across the expanse of his hips. Harry cants his hips up.

“No- I want- I want you-” Louis’ finger touches Harry’s rim gently, rubbing around the pink circle and Harry nearly screams. Yes.

“Yes! Yes please oh god please I want- please-” He’s losing it. He closes his eyes, he can hear Louis rustling in the side drawer, can hear the soft click of the lid of a thing of lube, can hear the sound of lube coating Louis’ fingers and being warmed,  can feel- he whines. Louis’ index finger is trailing the rim against but not going further, so Harry takes matters into his own hands and tries to press back on Louis’ fingers, only to have his hips pressed down.

“Easy Hazza.”

“C’mon, I’m not a virgin, you don’t have to be easy with me.” He pants and Louis frowns at him.

“Well I don’t want to just pull a ‘wham, bam, thank ya ma’am’ on ya, H. I want to do this right.” And Harry can’t help but smile at him, but then he realizes the further meaning of Louis’ words, and his eyes widen and his jaw drops slightly.

“You want to- we’re?” And Louis snorts a little and presses his index finger in gently, just up to his fingernail. Harry gasps and scrapes the bed, gripping the sheets. Louis’ finger is inside him.

“I was hoping so, yeah. Unless you don’t want to?” Louis asks but he knows that Harry wants this. Harry pleads with his eyes. “Or unless you don’t want me to be a gentleman.” Louis shrugs but Harry can see he’s teasing.

“Fuck please- be a slightly faster gentleman before I die of- oh holy shit.” Louis’ whole finger sinks in and a second one is pressing at the rim. Louis adds more lube to be safe, and when he’s two fingers in he begins pumping slowly, in all the way, out almost all the way, in again harder and faster until he’s fucking Harry with his fingers and he twists his fingers, earning a moan and a shiver from Harry. He crooks his fingers just a tad and Harry loses it, he cries out and fists a hand in his hair before throwing the arm over his eyes. His chest is heaving and his hips are bucking as best they can under Louis’ hand over his right hip. Louis continues to press into his prostate, getting a third finger in, and his pinky poking at the stretched hole, teasing. Harry is practically gasping, shaking and absolutely gone. On a particular thrust he shouts “Stop!” and Louis doesn’t stop because he knows Harry is close. He works harder and Harry whines.

“Dont wanna- want you- Louis,”

“I think you can manage to cum twice, can’t you Hazza?” He asks and Harry pants, bites his lip and whines but nods. He can do that. His right hand reaches down to take his cock in his hand to get him over the edge but Louis swats it away.

“I know you can cum untouched, H. C’mon.” And Harry lets out another moan, Louis keeps constant stimulation on Harry’s prostate and he’s moving his fingers perfectly and it’s all so much and Harry bites into the flesh of his upper arm to stifle the scream he releases when he cums untouched all over Louis’ hand that somehow managed to cover him just in time to save them from a mess. Louis cleans off his hand of the lube and cum and rustles in the drawer before turning to Harry.

“H?” Harry turns his head, Louis is looking at Harry with a questioning look on his face as he holds up a condom. Harry heaves out a breath and shakes his head.

“‘m clean, I haven’t been with anyone I- I want to feel you.” Louis nods and ditches the condom. He lets Harry have a moment to recover before he goes for the opposite side of Harry’s neck than he was sucking on before, and starts to leave little tiny soon to fade lovebites before placing a huge red one to match the blooming purple one on the other collarbone.

“I’m gonna be inside you, H. You want me, babe?” Louis continues soft whispers like this until Harry is fully hard again and spreading his legs for Louis to get between.

“Please, I want you so badly, touch me, Louis.” He begs and Louis can’t not give into him, he slicks up his leaking cock and gets between Harry’s legs. He lines up and presses in slowly, Harry gasps and Louis groans and presses his face in Harry’s neck. Harry is so hot and tight around Louis that he feels like he can’t breathe.

“Jesus, even after loosening you up, you’re still so- god H, so good.” Harry keens at that, holds Louis’ hips and presses his thumbs into them to say he wants more, scraping at Louis’ back when he pushes in half way and all but cums when Louis’ finally fully inside him. Louis doesn’t move until it’s unbearable for both of them to not move, he pulls out nearly all the way before pushing back in, making Harry wheeze out a breath of air and he slowly sets a rhythm between ending this quickly and dragging on for hours. It’s too much and too little and they’re both so overwhelmed and Harry feels like he’s dying and it’s so good he cants up to meet Louis with every push and pull of their hips. Louis nearly dies when Harry lifts his left leg up and over Louis’ shoulder, with every press Louis hits deeper and deeper until- “Oh fuck god- yes- Louis right there please I need- I want- I can’t- oh god.”

Harry can’t even form a full sentence, Louis continues to thrust and with every push he hits Harry’s prostate, and he rests a hand on Harry’s stomach and pushes gently to really get him. Harry wheezes, he gasps, he bites into his arm so hard he’s nearly breaking skin as Louis says “Cum Hazza” softly and he’s gone. A single thrust later Louis bottoms out and collapses on Harry, cuming inside him. They’re both so exhausted that they physically can’t move, for a while Louis thinks he passed out a little but he opens his eyes and has to shut them again because- _fuck._

Harry is fucking obscene beneath him. Louis can feel the cum cooling and drying between them from where Harry came, but the sight of Harry is something Louis wants embedded in his mind like a tattoo. Harry’s curls are everywhere, sweaty and longer than normal, framing his face like an angel. His face is pointed up, his jaw is slack and his lips are obscenely red, like he’s given a fuck ton of blow jobs. His skin is shiny with sweat and his neck is patchworked in lovebites. His chest is heaving with every breath and he’s managed to get a small spot of cum as far as his chin. His face is smooth, like he’s so blissed out that he’s just gone slack, and he’s so fucking beautiful, and Louis’ so fucking in love with him it hurts. The truck that just ran him over leaves him gasping for breath, burying his face in the single patch of sweaty but not cum sticky skin of Harry’s ribs, biting there gently and hearing Harry’s hoarse inhale of breath and the soft groan he releases when he realizes that Louis’ nipping him.

Louis finally moves after what feels like hours, pulls out of Harry carefully and reaches up to press a gentle kiss to Harry’s lips. Harry hums and kisses back but is pretty much useless after that. Louis decides to go clean off in the bathroom before taking a damp flannel out to clean Harry up. The job is tricky, trying to clean off a tall lanky boy covered in sweat and cum with a small towel is like trying to figure out how to use the last thing of toilet paper wisely. He tackles the smaller easier places, cooling off his face and getting the cum off his chin before tackling the mess of Harry’s torso and back and bum. He gently cleans Harry’s cock and stirs a groan from the boy before he’s deemed the boy clean enough, deciding a shower later would be a good idea. But for now laying on his back and letting the boy cuddle into his side sounds better.

Harry curls right into Louis’ side and they stay like that for ages, Louis rubbing small patterns into Harry’s back until he’s writing letters gently on his back. I. L.O.V.E. Y.O.U. He writes this over and over, knowing full well what he’s doing, and waits for Harry to realize. It doesn’t take long. After the second time, Harry realized the rubbing wasn’t just patterns, but they were letters, they meant something. And on the third time of Louis writing it, Harry realizes what he’s spelling out and his heart pounds in his chest, his hands begins to shake, his eyes open and meet Louis’ cerulean blue eyes. He can see it, can see the twinkle in Louis’ eyes, can see the soft but scared smile on his face, can practically feel how scared Louis is feeling and it’s because Harry hasn’t answered. Harry blinks and tears trickle down his cheeks but he’s grinning, and Louis is so close that he just kisses him like the very first time they ever kissed. It’s giddy and fun and new but so familiar and Harry is so fucking in love with Louis and he murmurs _loveyouloveyouloveyouloveyou_ over and over into Louis’ lips before he pulls away and meets Louis’ watery eyes and beaming smile and says “I love you. I love you. I love you. I’m never going to stop saying it now.” It makes Louis laugh and he kisses him again because he can and because he loves him and Louis loves him back.

Harry feels like he’s over the moon and chasing the stars and he never wants to come back down to earth again. With Louis by his side, he really never has to.

**  
  
**

*

**  
  
  
**

**Two Years Later…**

**  
  
  
**

“Oh and Duchess needs more W-E-T-” she _merps_ from the counter and Harry sighs from where he’s talking on the phone with Louis, “oh what the hell it’s like she knows what I’m spelling. She needs more wet food, but don’t get her that canned shit, ever since she had the organic raw food she’s turned her nose up at the canned food. Because she’s a priss, that’s why.” She gives him a glare but a head butt for telling Louis to get her the good food. She struts over to her cat tree and watches Harry putter around the kitchen.

“One more thing! I love you too asshat, no just one thing, can you get us sushi? The food baby is craving it again. Thanks babe, see you when you get home. I love you. Bye.” He grins at Duchess who looks oddly proud of her dad for having her daddy wrapped around his finger.

“Thanks kit, I’m proud of me too.” He says as he places the last cookie in the container to take to Niall.

Baby Olly has been stressing both Niall and Liam out to their limits, what with cutting three new teeth and having a cold. So Harry decided to make cookies for him because they always cheer him up, and he had to use up his left over baking things anyways because his next fresh order of things was being delivered in the next day or two. Louis was out picking up things from the grocery store they couldn’t Amazon Fresh order, and Harry was waiting for his sushi patiently.

Louis always made jokes about how Harry has a food baby in his stomach, always craving things and making Louis’ life difficult because Harry was whiny about cravings until he got them fulfilled. He also liked to tease because he knew how much Harry wanted to have a baby of their own, it’s all he ever talked about these days. Louis would often find sticky notes around the house with cute sayings on them, like ‘hi, I love you. let’s have babies.’ and they made him laugh and smile and brightened his days when work was tough and often surprised him in odd places like the shower, and the inside of the tea bag jar and even in one of his wedding folders at work. But despite Harry’s efforts to get Louis on Team Baby, Louis said they could talk about kids when they’re married.

And that was another thing Harry never shut up about. He wanted to be married. Yesterday, if he could have it his way. But every mention of that turned up at the exact time Louis had to go to the washroom, or needed more tea, or had to go and get eggs and milk (even when they had brand new ones in the fridge already). It sometimes made Harry feel like Louis was avoiding the questions because he didn’t want that, even though Harry knew he did.

**  
  
**

“Here you go, sushi to feed the food baby.” Louis announced as he walked through the door, one arm carrying sushi and the other carrying the cat food and litter and a new toy for their girl. Harry thanked him with a big slobbery kiss and never let on for a second that his mind was wandering through all the possible reasons why Louis was avoiding the important questions. For now he stuffed his face with sushi, and he’d worry about everything else later.

**  
  
**

*

**  
  
  
**

Harry woke up to the sound of an alarm he did not set and groaned when he tried to smash the device of torture and realized that breaking his phone wasn’t a good idea. He simply shut off the alarm and sat up with a frown on his face. Louis wasn’t in bed. He wasn’t destroying the house, Harry would hear him. He obviously wasn’t home. He looked to his right and saw a note by his phone. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he focused on the messy boy writing.

**  
  
**

_Gone with Zayn ftd, won’t be home til dinner. Don’t miss me too much. Love you, H. - L xxxx_

**  
  
**

Why would Louis set an alarm on his phone when he was going to be away all day? Now Harry was awake and alone and what was he to do? He didn’t want to sit around all day in the flat, he did that yesterday. He didn’t work today, and from the look of outside it looked gorgeous out. He decided to get up out of bed and shower, happy to see a sticky note in a baggy beside the one he left Louis about a bun in the oven with a cartoon picture of a bun in an oven belly, but was sad to see that it simply said _cute._

When he got in the kitchen, there was another note reminding him to feed Duchess and to have a good day and brunch was in the fridge when he was ready to eat. He laughed when he saw a plate in the empty middle shelf with a sandwich in the shape of a heart and ‘love you’ spelled out in carrots and celery and a smile on his sandwich by a banana. He ate it all because Louis rarely cooks and when he does he knows Louis’ done it to show him he loves him so he eats it for Louis. And then he showers because he wants to go out, and he doesn’t need to smell like something died. He puts on his favourite pale blue button down top on and leaves it half unbuttoned and puts on his jeans. His phone rings as he’s towelling his hair dry.

“Hey, want to hang out? Li’s got Olly at a doctor’s appointment, and I want to get out of the house before I go stir crazy.” Niall says plainly and Harry is silently thanking god for something to do.

“Yeah, sure. Gym?” Harry says hopefully and Niall agrees, claiming he’s gotten fat since Olly turned one.

They get their workout clothes out of their lockers when they get to the gym, and work out for an hour before going for a swim, showering and changing back into their clothes and eating a late but healthy lunch after. Niall suggests going for a walk and Harry doesn’t argue. They pass by a park and Harry sees all the little kids running around playing and laughing and he lingers a moment too long because Niall tugs him away.

“You’re gonna creep the mothers out if you stare too long.” He tells Harry and Harry sighs.

“I want a baby. I keep telling Louis and he says no! Not til we’re married! But he hasn’t asked me to marry him!? And I just- I want it to be him to ask me so badly, you know? I want him and I want a family, I hate sounding greedy but- I just want that life and he knows it. So why is he delaying it? It makes me-”

“No- don’t even say it makes you doubt if he wants that. Don’t you dare. Haz, you can’t think for one minute that Louis doesn’t want a family with you, that he doesn’t want to marry you. Louis loves you, and he wants that, trust me.” Niall tells him and Harry doesn’t say anything about it, just sighs and continues walking.

“Is there something wrong with me?” Harry asks Niall who looks at Harry like he’s gone nuts.

“No? It’s perfectly normal to want what you want, Louis’ just taking his sweet ass time about popping the question, I guess. But no Haz, you’ve nothing wrong with you.”

“How did Liam ask you again?” Harry asks, even though he knows the story off by heart. Niall smiles and turns pink.

“It was our four year anniversary, and he took me home, to Ireland, and he got my entire family there, and popped the question by giving me a pint with the ring floating on the foam and said ‘you’re my cup of Guinness, marry me.’  so I chugged my pint, finished with the ring in me teeth, and said ‘you’re my favourite pint, of course I’ll marry you’ so he stuck the ring on my hand and then me mum started crying, and my cousins started dancing, and I’ll never forget it.” Niall tells Harry. It’s a very watered down version of the proposal but Harry loved to hear it. He looked at the glinting silver band on Niall’s hand.

“And Olly, how did you and Liam decide the name?” Niall shrugs.

“We both just really loved the name Oliver, but he gets Olly obviously, and so it was easy to agree on the name. Besides, it gave Li an excuse to call him his little Ollykins.” Niall grins like he can’t believe how lucky he is. Harry smiles, but it doesn’t touch his eyes.

“Cheer up Haz, it’ll happen, be patient.” Niall says like he’s sure of it, and Harry just nods like he believes him. Today’s feeling like a bad day in general and he doesn’t feel like being patient.

Harry watches his feet as they walk, and he knits his eyebrows and stops when his foot steps over an odd looking footprint that is obvious against the pavement. When his eyes look up he sees a trail of them leading down the street. They match his foot size, and he looks at Niall who looks just as baffled. He picks up the footprint and sees the words ‘follow me’ typed on it. He finds it odd, but there’s a twinge in his stomach like butterflies and he’s not sure why, but he follows the footprints, and Niall picks them up as they go along, claiming he’s “saving the planet one footprint at a time” making Harry laugh at the pun. The footprints turn a corner and he  turns with them. When he looks up he can’t help but grin. They’ve lead him to the university. The butterfly tummy feeling gets more intense.

“Niall…” He looks at Niall who looks innocent as he walks up to the doors of the school, reading a note and grinning. He waves it at Harry  and Harry comes to read it.

**  
  
**

_Put the blindfold on. Let your heart be your guide._

Niall secures a blindfold over Harry’s eyes, and Harry’s heart is beginning to pound in his chest. He’s grinning, but he feels like he shouldn’t get his hopes up. He tries to breathe but it comes out shaky and all he can think is _oh my god, is this really happening?_

“Niall-”

“Mate, you know where you’re going. Lead me.” He says as he places Harry’s hand on his arm. Harry follows Niall, telling him which way to turn.

“Is… Is this really happening?” Harry asks in a quiet voice.

“Let your heart lead you.” Niall whispers back. He hears a door creak open and he can sense he’s stepped through it, and Niall lets go of his arm. Harry stumbles forward with his arms out, and a few steps later he bumps into someone. He smiles like a kid at Christmas. “Oops.”

“Hi.” The voice answers. Harry lets out a soft sort of choking noise. _It's Louis_.

“Oh my god.” Harry whispers and covers his eyes even though they’re already covered by the blindfold. He hears Louis’ soft hum of a laugh.

“Hazza, you can take your blindfold off now.”

“Help me?” Harry squeaks softly and Louis obliges. Louis is there, looking gorgeous as ever and Harry is literally falling apart. His heart is pounding in his ears so loud he can hardly hear anything. All he knows is he’s in the room they met in, the lights are set up like when they first met, the only things missing is a camera, and Louis is here. And this has got to be the proposal he’s been dreaming of for as long as he can remember. It’s got to be.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Louis says softly to Harry and smiles, cupping Harry’s cheek; only then does Harry realize his shuddering breathing. He nods and smiles big and his chest hurts and the butterflies actually hurt his stomach right now but he is literally unable to function right now.

“We met here, in this very room, in a setting much like this. I didn’t know that that day, was the day my life was going to be flipped upside down and would change. But I’m so thankful for that day, because it was the day I got to meet you. And I knew, the moment the blindfold left my eyes, the moment I saw you, your big green eyes, your dimply smile, your curls, and your heart, I knew I was gone. So far gone and I knew I loved you before I really knew you. And it took a while to really be able to admit how far gone I was, because I knew if I admitted it, there was no turning back, I’d want to spend my entire life with you. Of course, we had our moments where I was terrified that things were going to break, I’d lose you, and it terrified me. I never want to lose you. Losing you would be like losing all the air on the earth. You’re my world, H. I could never be me, the me I am today, without you. Falling for you was inevitable, every sunrise and sunset. Loving you is and always will be effortless, like breathing. Finding you was fate, it was destiny that I was to find you. Because you’re the part of me that was missing and, and I’d really like to have you for forever, if you’ll let me…” Louis reaches into his back pocket and smiles at Harry, who is now covering his mouth to hide his smile and to cover the sound of his soft sobs because this is it, this is it. Louis sinks to one knee and clicks open the box to reveal a silver ring with a diamond in the middle of two weaving and entwining lines of tiny black stones. It wasn’t flashy,  it was delicate and beautiful and Harry covered his face to let out a few soft sobs before grinning down at Louis.

“So H, will you please do me the honour letting me have forever with you and marry me?” Harry couldn’t speak, he nodded and whispers a soft ‘yes, of course’ and Louis finally let it out, tears coming down his cheeks but he was grinning as he slipped the ring on Harry’s finger and jumping up to his feet to pick Harry up in his arms and kiss him breathless while the roars of applause from behind the lights could be heard as dull background noise.

When Harry was back on the ground he was laughing and crying and when he turned to look, the lights were shut off to reveal all the witnesses of their engagement. He saw his mum, and Gemma, and Jay and all the kids, and Dan and all of their friends. They all came towards them in one big swarm and Harry had never felt this much love at once. He couldn’t let go of Louis, he refused to. He was just so happy he could positively burst, and nothing could make this better. Or so he thought.

**  
  
**

“Excuse me, everyone?” Everyone stopped chattering to listen to Louis. Louis smiled at Harry, and Harry had no idea what he was about to say or do.

“You’ve been asking me for a year now, what seems like every day, for a baby. I know how badly you want to have a little family we can call our own, and you’ve no idea how hard it’s been to tell you not until we’re married, but I only did that because I’ve been planning this for forever and it had to be the right time, it just had to, it had to be perfect. So Harry, I want to give you this now. It's the right time.” Louis puts his hand inside his jacket to pull out an envelope. Harry is confused, but when he opens the manilla envelope he nearly collapses. In the envelope are the papers they'd need to have a surrogacy pregnancy, signed sealed, delivered and approved. He covers his mouth with his hands and shakes his head.

“This- it’s real?” Louis grins and nods. "It's real, babe. We're gonna have a baby."

“Oh Louis, oh Louis!” Harry exclaims and this time it’s Louis who’s picked up and spun and kissed.

And Harry isn’t just over the moon anymore. He’s not off simply chasing the stars. He’s off exploring a brand new galaxy. A brand new life waiting to be travelled and a whole new world to experience. And he gets to do it all with Louis. And there’s no greater gift than that. He could never ask for anything better than this. This is all he needs. 

**  
  
**

 fin.

**  
  
  
  
  
**

**Author's Note:**

> catch me on tumblr! http://tippytoetomlinstyles.tumblr.com/


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